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Frontispiece 


A modern  North  Carolina  furniture  factory. 


NORTH  CAROLINA  GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  SURVEY 

CHAPEL  HILL,  N.  C. 

JOSEPH  HYDE  PRATT,  Director 

IN  COOPERATION  WITH  THE 

FOREST  SERVICE,  U.  S.  DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE 
WILLIAM  B.  GREELEY.  Forester 


BULLETIN  30 


WOOD -USING  INDUSTRIES 

of 

NORTH  CAROLINA 


By  R.  K.  HELPHENSTINE,  Jr. 
Statistician  in  Forest  Products 


RALEIGH 

Mitchell  Printing  Company 
State  Printers 
1923 


GEOLOGICAL  BOARD 


Governor  Cameron  Morrison,  ex  officio  Chairman Raleigh 

Frank  R.  Hewitt Asheville 

C.  C.  Smoot,  III North  Wilkesboro 

Hon.  John  H.  Small Washington 

Dr.  S.  Westray  Battle Asheville 


Joseph  Hyde  Pratt,  Director,  Chapel  Hill 


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7?  87  3(6 

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LETTER  OF  TRANSMITTAL 


Chapel  Hill,  N.  C.,  January  1,  1923. 

To  His  Excellency,  Hon.  Cameron  Morrison, 

Governor  of  North  Carolina. 

Sir: — A report  on  “The  Wood-using  Industries  of  North  Carolina,” 
which  has  just  been  completed,  was  prepared  jointly  by  the  North  Caro- 
lina Geological  and  Economic  Survey  and  the  United  States  Forest 
Service,  and  it  is  recommended  that  this  be  published  as  Bulletin  30  of 
the  publications  of  the  North  Carolina  Geological  and  Economic  Survey. 
This  report  should  be  of  interest  and  value  to  the  timber  owner,  the 
sawmill  operator,  wood-using  industries,  merchants  who  handle  the  fin- 
ished product,  and  all  who  are  interested  in  trees  and  their  uses. 

Yours  respectfully, 

Joseph  Hyde  Pratt,  Director, 

N.  C.  Geological  and  Economic  Survey. 


230263 


PREFACE 


In  1910  the  Survey  published  in  Economic  Paper  ISTo.  20  a report  on 
“The  Wood-using  Industries  of  ISTorth  Carolina.”  This  report  was  very 
favorably  received  by  the  industries,  and  there  was  a constant  demand 
for  it  until  the  edition  became  exhausted.  With  the  large  increase  in 
the  number  of  wood-using  plants  and  the  great  increase  in  the  volume 
of  business  of  our  wood-using  industries,  and  on  account  of  the  decided 
change  in  the  quantity  and  quality  of  raw  material  available  for  these 
industries,  it  was  deemed  advisable  to  prepare  another  report  on  the 
wood-using  industries  of  the  State  which  would  consider  not  only  the 
production  of  the  plants,  but  their  sources  of  supply  of  raw  material. 
The  statistics  and  information  presented  in  this  report  cover  the  calendar 
year  of  1919.  In  collecting  material  for  the  report  some  most  interest- 
ing and  instructive  information  regarding  the  timber  used  by  these 
industries  and  its  source  of  supply  was  obtained. 

During  the  investigation  155  of  the  more  important  wood-using  plants 
of  the  State  were  visited  and,  according  to  statements  obtained  from  a 
majority  of  these  industries,  their  greatest  need  at  present  is  a supply 
of  suitable  timber  to  be  used  in  their  plants,  and  the  manufacturers  are 
now  considerably  worried  over  their  future  supply.  The  statement  was 
made  at  nearly  all  of  the  industries  visited  that  the  quality  of  their 
wood  supply  was  not  nearly  as  good  as  it  was  ten  years  ago,  and  that 
they  were  having  to  go  constantly  further  away  for  what  they  did  obtain. 
Representatives  of  at  least  one-third  of  these  industries  made  the  state- 
ment that  their  available  supply  of  timber  will  be  exhausted  in  ten  or 
fifteen  years. 

With  the  shortage  of  timber  there  is  a corresponding  increase  in  price, 
and  seven  manufacturers,  representing  Eastern,  Central,  and  Western 
jNTorth  Carolina,  state  that  the  cost  of  their  lumber  supply  has  more  than 
doubled  during  the  past  ten  years,  and  that  the  quality  is  not  nearly  as 
good  as  it  formerly  was.  These  conditions  have  caused  those  interested 
in  our  wood-using  industries  to  begin  to  consider  seriously  the  question 
of  a future  supply  of  timber,  and  they  are  now  beginning  to  cooperate 
with  the  Survey  in  its  endeavor  to  protect  and  conserve  our  timber 
supply;  and  they  are  realizing  that  the  conservation  of  our  forests  and 
timber  supply  does  not  mean  the  nonutilization  of  the  timber,  hut  does 
mean  maintaining  a future  supply  of  timber  by  maintaining  good  trees 
in  our  forests  and  bringing  into  timber  cultivation  land  especially 
adapted  for  this  purpose.  It  is  believed  that  ISTorth  Carolina  can  main- 


330263 


6 


Preface 


tain  sufficient  forests  to  produce  and  provide  perpetually  a sufficient 
timber  suppply  for  its  manufacturing  industries,  but  the  first  prerequi- 
site to  accomplishing  this  is  the  protection  of  our  forests  and  timber 
lands  from  fire. 

The  present  report  takes  up  in  detail  the  various  kinds  of  wood  grown 
in  North  Carolina  and  their  distribution  and  the  purposes  for  which 
they  are  now  being  used,  with  suggestions  of  other  uses.  There  is  also 
given  a list  of  the  commercial  trees  of  North  Carolina. 

The  investigation  upon  which  this  report  is  based  was  carried  on 
under  the  joint  direction  of  J.  S.  Holmes,  State  Forester  of  the  North 
Carolina  Geological  and  Economic  Survey,  and  H.  S.  Betts  of  the  Office 
of  Forest  Products,  IT.  S.  Forest  Service.  Mr.  Holmes  prepared  largely 
the  chapter  on  “Forest  Conditions,”  and  compiled  the  list  of  commercial 
trees  of  North  Carolina. 

It  is  hoped  that  this  report  will  be  an  incentive  to  still  greater  co- 
operation between  the  wood-using  industries,  the  timber  growers,  and 
the  State  in  conserving  and  perpetuating  our  timber  supply. 

Joseph  Hyde  Pratt, 

Director. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


PART  I PAGE 

Introduction  11 

Importance  of  Manufacturing 12 

Purpose  of  the  Study 13 

Forest  Conditions . 11 

Mountain  Region— 15 

Spruce  Type 15 

Mountain  Hardwoods 16 

Piedmont  Region 17 

Hardwood  and  Pine 17 

Second  Growth  Pine  Type » 18 

Coastal  Plain  Region 18 

Coastal  Pine  Type 19 

Hardwood  Swamps 19 

Depletion  of  Forest  Resources - 20 

The  Future  Timber  Supply 24 

Part  II 

Kinds  of  Wood 26 

State-grown  and  Imported  Woods — — 28 

The  Woods  Described 29 

Softwoods  30 

The  Hardwoods  35 

Foreign  Woods  53 

Part  III 

Industries  54 

Planing  Mill  Products . 56 

Boxes  and  Crates 57 

Furniture  60 

Chairs  62 

Vehicles  and  Vehicle  Parts 64 

Fruit  and  Vegetable  Packages 66 

Sash.  Doors.  Blinds,  and  General  Mill  Work 67 

Caskets  and  Coffins 69 

Elevators  and  Machine  Construction 71 

Shuttles.  Spools,  and  Bobbins. 72 

Handles  74 

Fixtures  76 

Agricultural  Implements 79 

Miscellaneous  80 


Part  IV 

The  Uses  of  Wood  by  North  Carolina  Manufacturers 82 

Wood-using  Factories  of  North  Carolina 91 

Part  V 

Production  of  Forest  Products 99 

Lumber  99 

Lath  and  Shingles 100 

Cooperage  Stock 100 

Veneer  101 

Pulpwood  101 

Appendix — Commercial  Trees  of  North  Carolina 103 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


Plate  Description  Facing  Page 

I.  A,  Typical  forest  scene  in  the  Mountain  Region  of  North  Caro- 
lina ; B,  typical  forest  scene  in  the  Piedmont  Region  of  North 

Carolina  16 

II.  Typical  forest  scene  in  the  Coastal  Plain  Region  of  North  Caro- 
lina   20 

III.  A,  The  manufacture  of  box  shooks  for  canned  food  packages. 

North  Carolina  pine  is  the  wood  used ; B,  interior  of  a small 
North  Carolina  bpx  factory 57 

IV.  A wooden  bedstead  of  oak  in  the  “white.”  or  before  any  finish  of 

any  kind  is  applied.  The  framework  is  solid  wood,  and  ply- 
wood is  used  for  the  panels 61 

V.  A,  Higher  grade  walnut  bedroom  pieces  in  a North  Carolina 
furniture  factory.  The  chairs  to  the  right  are  finished  in  old 
ivory  and  have  cane  seats ; B , interior  of  a North  Carolina 
factory  devoted  to  the  manufacture  of  bedroom  furniture.  The 


articles  shown  consist  of  footboards  of  wooden  beds 61 

VI.  A,  Mirror  frames  for  bureaus,  chiffoniers,  and  dressing  tables  as 
produced  by  a North  Carolina  manufacturer  of  bedroom  furni- 
ture ; B,  the  glue  room  of  a large  North  Carolina  furniture 

factory  61 

VII.  A,  Dressing  table  seats  in  a North  Carolina  chair  factory  ready 
for  staining  and  finishing ; B,  a corner  of  the  finishing  room  of 
a North  Carolina  chair  factory.  Settees,  rockers,  dining-room 

chairs,  and  others  are  shown  in  the  picture 63 

VIII.  A,  Chairs  and  settees  in  a North  Carolina  plant  ready  for  stain- 
ing and  finishing.  In  this  factory  red  gum  is  the  principal 
wood  used ; B,  chair  parts  in  the  making  in  a North  Carolina 

factory  63 

IX.  A,  The  wheel  room  of  a large  North  Carolina  wagon  factory ; B. 
wagon  box  board  stock,  hubs  and  spokes  in  the  plant  of  a large 

North  Carolina  farm  wagon  manufacturer 65 

X.  A,  Interior  of  a North  Carolina  wagon  factory.  Completed 
wheels  in  the  foreground  and  finished  wooden  gear  parts  in  the 
rear,  ready  for  assembling ; B.  a portion  of  the  assembly  room 


for  running  gears  in  the  factory  of  a large  wagon  maker  of 

North  Carolina 65 

XI.  A,  The  finishing  room  in  a North  Carolina  casket  factory ; B.  the 

manufacture  of  burial  cases  in  a North  Carolina  casket  factory  69 
XII.  A,  Dogwood  is  the  principal  wood  used  for  shuttles.  The  picture 
shows  a pile  of  dogwood  logs  on  the  yard  of  a North  Carolina 
shuttle  block  mill ; B,  shuttles  in  the  making,  the  raw  material 
used  being  the  dogwood  blocks  produced  by  the  shuttle  block 


mill  73 

XIII.  A , Ash  and  hickory  handle  squares  seasoning  under  cover  at  a* 

North  Carolina  handle  factory ; B.  finished  and  partly  finished 
“D”  shovel  handles  in  a North  Carolina  handle  plant . 75 

XIV.  Rough  turned  “D”  shovel  handles,  the  product  of  a North  Caro- 

lina handle  plant 75 


List  of  Illustrations 


9 


Plate 

XV. 

XVI. 

XVII. 

XVIII. 


Description  Facing  Page 

A,  A store  and  office  fixture  factory  in  North  Carolina.  Show 
cases  in  the  making ; B,  a special  order  of  white  enamel  tea- 
room fixtures  under  construction  in  the  plant  of  a North  Caro- 
lina office  fixture  manufacturer 77 

Agricultural  implement  handles  and  the  raw  material  from 
which  they  are  made.  The  handles  are  of  oak  and  are  first 

steamed  and  then  bent,  and  afterwards  worked 79 

A,  One-horse,  three-row  grain  drills  as  manufactured  in  an  agri- 
cultural implement  factory  of  North  Carolina.  Oak  is  used 
for  handles  and  beams,  while  North  Carolina  pine  is  employed 
for  seed  boxes;  B,  interior  of  a North  Carolina  agricultural 
implement  factory.  Oak  is  the  only  wood  used  in  the  manu- 
facture of  the  small  fertilizer  distributors  shown  in  this  plate, 

the  wood  being  employed  for  plow  beams  and  handles 79 

Single-row  oat  sowers  with  oak  handles  and  North  Carolina  pine 
hoppers,  the  product  of  a North  Carolina  agricultural  imple- 
ment manufacturer 79 


Wood-Using  Industries  of  North  Carolina 

By  R.  K.  Helphenstine,  Jr.,  Statistician  in  Forest  Products 

0 


PART  I 


INTRODUCTION 

Important  among  the  many  valuable  natural  resources  of  North  Caro- 
lina are  her  forests.  The  total  area  of  the  State  is  31  million  acres,  of 
which  21  million  acres,  or  two-thirds  of  all  the  land  embraced  within 
its  boundaries,  support  a timber  crop.  These  forests  produce  practi- 
cally all  of  the  commercially  valuable  hardwoods  native  to  the  United 
States  and  most  of  the  eastern  coniferous  woods.  An  estimate  made  in 
1920  by  the  North  Carolina  Geological  and  Economic  Survey  placed 
the  stand  of  timber  in  the  State  at  34  billion  feet,  board  measure.  With 
such  a plentiful  supply  of  timber,  North  Carolina  has  naturally  always 
been  one  of  the  leading  lumber-producing  states.  The  accompanying- 
chart  shows  the  relative  rant  of  the  leading  states  in  the  production  of 
lumber  for  the  eleven  years  from  1909  to  1919,  inclusive. 

From  the  foregoing  chart  it  can  be  seen  that  North  Carolina  has  never 
occupied  lower  than  tenth  place  during  any  of  the  years  shown,  and  that 
for  six  of  those  years  she  ranked  either  fourth  or  fifth.  The  lumber  cut 
in  the  State  by  the  1,211  mills  that  reported  in  1921,  the  most  recent 
year  for  which  these  statistics  have  been  gathered,  amounted  to 
931,015,000  feet,  board  measure.  Of  this  quantity  732,035,000  board 
feet  were  softwoods,  and  198,980,000  board  feet  were  hardwoods.  The 
annual  lumber  cut  alone  does  not,  however,  represent  the  total  drain 
upon  the  forests  of  the  State.  There  must  be  added  to  the  products  of 
the  sawmills  the  raw  material  cut  for  shingles,  ties,  cooperage  stock, 
pulpwood,  poles,  etc.,  the  manufacture  of  which  all  call  for  merchant- 
able timber.  In  addition,  several  million  feet  of  timber  in  the  form  of 
cordwood  is  cut  for  fuel  and  other  purposes.  These  various  items  bring 
the  total  cut  of  timber  in  North  Carolina  each  year  up  to  the  7 billion 
board  foot  mark,  or  an  annual  cut  of  350  board  feet  per  acre  for  all  of 
the  forested  area  of  the  State.  Even  this  stupendous  figure  of  7 billion 
board  feet  does  not  cover  the  total  quantity  of  timber  removed  annually, 
for  the  reason  that  it  does  not  take  into  account  the  extensive  losses  in 
both  merchantable  timber  and  potentially  valuable  young  growth  due 
to  forest  fires. 

*The  figures  presented  in  this  introduction  relating  to  the  area  of  the  State,  the  area  of  the 
forest  land  and  the  stand  of  timber  are  taken  from  the  Biennial  Report  of  the  State  Geologist 
for  1919-1920  published  in  1921  by  the  North  Carolina  Geological  and  Economic  Survey. 


12 


Wood-using  Industries  of  Worth  Carolina 


The  yearly  growth  of  wood  per  acre  in  Worth  Carolina  has  been  esti- 
mated by  the  Geological  and  Economic  Survey  of  the  State  to  be  ap- 
proximately 150  board  feet.  Since  the  annual  removal  per  acre,  exclu- 
sive of  that  destroyed  by  fire,  is  350  board  feet,  the  State  is  using  each 
year  200  board  feet  per  acre  in  excess  of  that  which  is  replaced  by 
growth. 

Although  the  State  Legislature  of  Worth  Carolina  in  1915  passed  an 
excellent  law  embodying  more  particularly  provisions  for  forest  fire  pro- 
tection, formerly  no  appropriation  was  ever  made  to  enforce  it.  In 
1921,  however,  a sum  of  approximately  $9,000  was  set  aside  for  this 
purpose.  With  this  sum  provided  by  the  State  for  this  work,  further 
financial  assistance  is  made  available  by  the  Federal  Government  under 
the  Weeks  Law,  Section  2 of  which  provides,  among  other  things,  for 
assistance  to  the  State  in  fire  protection  on  the  headwaters  of  navigable 
streams  in  those  states  that  have  some  paid  system  of  State  fire  protec- 
tion. The  amount  given  by  the  Government  cannot  exceed  the  amount 
spent  by  the  State,  but  it  may,  however,  go  as  high  as  $25,000  providing 
the  State  spends  a like  amount.  With  sufficient  funds  to  carry  out  the 
provisions  of  her  forest  law,  and  with  a well  defined  policy  of  forest 
management  in  active  operation,  the  State  should  soon  be  able  to  appre- 
ciably check  the  rapid  depletion  of  her  forests. 

IMPORTANCE  OF  MANUFACTURING 

Worth  Carolina  is  beginning  to  take  her  place  among  the  leading 
manufacturing  states,  and  her  natural  resources,  which  are  of  great 
importance,  have  a marked  influence  in  the  establishment  and  growth 
of  many  industries.  Some  of  the  materials  used  in  manufacturing,  such 
as  cotton,  cereals,  tobacco,  timber,  clay,  and  stone  are  produced  in  large 
quantities.  The  extensive  steam  and  electric  railway  mileage  and  the 
transportation  facilities  provided  by  the  harbors  and  navigable  rivers 
of  the  State  are  important  factors  in  the  furtherance  of  its  manufac- 
turing and  commercial  enterprises. 

Agriculture  is  the  leading  industry  of  the  State,  the  total  value  of  the 
farm  products  produced  in  1919,  as  shown  in  the  report  of  the  Fourteenth 
Census,  being  over  $503,000,000.  In  the  manufacturing  field  cotton 
goods  takes  the  lead,  the  total  value  of  such  products  produced,  as  pre- 
sented in  the  census  report  of  1919,  being  $318,368,181.  Tobacco  manu- 
factures ranked  second  in  value  with  $226,636,000,  while  the  value  of 
lumber  and  timber  products,  the  third  in  importance,  was  $54,928,000. 
The  wood-using  industries,  with  which  this  report  deals,  constitute  one  of 
the  important  classes  of  manufacturing  enterprises  of  the  State.  Unfor- 
tunately, however,  no  data  are  available  which  show  the  total  value  of 


Wood-using  Industries  oe  North  Carolina 


13 


the  products  made  by  this  group  of  industries,  but  it  is  more  than  prob- 
able that  if  combined  with  lumber  and  timber  products,  the  figure  would 
be  sufficiently  large  to  give  the  joint  industry  second  place  among  those 
of  the  State. 

PURPOSE  OF  THE  STUDY 

During  the  years  from  1909  to  1913,  inclusive,  the  Forest  Service, 
TJ.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  conducted  studies  of  the  wood-using 
industries  in  practically  all  of  the  various  states.  In  certain  cases  this 
work  was  done  in  cooperation  with  the  state,  and  the  reports  prepared 
as  a result  of  the  study  were  published  by  the  state  forester.  In  others 
the  work  was  carried  on  in  cooperation  with  state  agricultural  experi- 
ment stations,  state  colleges  of  forestry,  state  departments  of  horticul- 
ture, state  geologic  surveys,  or  state  conservation  commissions.  For  the 
remaining  states  the  Forest  Service  collected  the  necessary  data,  and 
the  reports  were  published  in  some  of  the  leading  lumber  trade  journals. 
Since  the  data  contained  in  these  various  reports  are  now  considerably 
out  of  date,  some  of  the  states  for  which  these  studies  were  originally 
made  have  requested  the  assistance  of  the  Forest  Service  in  the  revision 
of  these  reports  with  a view  of  embodying  in  them  more  recent  informa- 
tion. Among  these  is  the  State  of  North  Carolina,  the  original  report 
for  which  was  prepared  and  published  in  1910.  In  the  preparation  of 
this  revised  report  on  the  “Wood-using  Industries  of  North  Carolina,” 
which  covers  the  calendar  year  1919,  the  plan  of  procedure  was  the  same 
as  that  previously  followed. 

An  appropriate  questionnaire  was  sent  to  each  wood-using  factory  in 
the  State,  requesting  information  as  to  the  kind  and  amount  of  each 
species  used,  the  commodities  manufactured,  the  form  in  which  the  raw 
material  was  received  at  the  factory,  and  whether  the  woods  used  were 
grown  within  the  State  or  came  from  outside.  Other  data  covering 
past,  present,  and  future  local  timber  supply,  manufacturing  tendencies, 
etc.,  were  also  requested.  Considerable  quantities  of  lumber  in  its  rough 
form  are  used  with  no  further  change  other  than  slight  trimming  to  fit 
it  together,  as  in  house  construction  and  the  building  of  bridges,  con- 
crete forms,  scaffolding,  fencing,  etc.  This  material  is  not  taken  into 
account  in  this  study,  nor  is  any  wood  not  actually  employed  as  raw 
material  in  wood-using  factories.  The  output  of  sawmills  and  such 
other  primary  products  of  the  forest  as  veneer,  lath,  shingles,  crossties, 
cooperage  stock,  posts,  poles,  extract  wood,  pulpwood,  etc.,  is  therefore 
also  excluded  from  these  statistics.  Information  of  this  kind  has  always 
been  compiled  separately,  and  such  statistics  as  they  relate  to  North 
Carolina  are  presented  in  the  appendix  of  this  report.  They  cover  the 
most  recent  years  for  which  such  figures  are  available. 


14 


Wood-using  Industries  of  North  Carolina 


The  purposes  of  this  report  are  manifold,  and  are  intended  to  show 
the  extent  to  which  lumber  is  further  manufactured  in  the  State  of 
North  Carolina,  to  indicate  what  industries  of  this  kind  exist  in  the 
State,  the  kinds  and  quantities  of  the  various  woods  they  use,  what  they 
pay  for  them,  and  the  classes  of  finished  commodities  into  which  they  are 
converted. 

The  United  States  Forest  Service  and  the  North  Carolina  Geological 
and  Economic  Survey  are  in  constant  receipt  of  requests  for  information 
from  points  throughout  this  and  nearby  states  concerning  markets  for 
various  kinds  of  timber  and  lumber,  data  on  wood  uses,  manufacturing 
processes  in  various  wood-using  industries,  and  advice  and  assistance  in 
waste  utilization.  This  report  will  supply  much  of  this  information. 
In  addition,  it  will  aid  the  farmer,  timberland  owner,  and  sawmill 
operator  in  disposing  of  timber  which  they  desire  to  market  through  the 
presentation  of  information  as  to  the  kinds  of  wood  used  by  different 
classes  of  manufacturers  and  the  forms  and  prices  applicable  to  such  raw 
material.  Wood-using  factories  are  in  turn  benefited  by  having  these 
additional  opportunities  to  purchase  raw  material  brought  to  their 
attention.  Manufacturers  will  also  find  in  this  report  helpful  sugges- 
tions relating  to  various  points  pertinent  to  their  respective  industries, 
such  as  the  substitution  of  cheaper  woods  for  the  more  costly  ones  now 
being  used,  regional  sources  of  supply  for  raw  material,  etc. 

FOREST  CONDITIONS 

Probably  as  many  important  commercial  timber  trees  occur  naturally 
in  North  Carolina  as  in  any  State  in  the  Union.  Of  the  twenty-nine 
“kinds  of  wood”  listed  by  the  Forest  Service  in  its  reports  on  the  pro- 
duction of  lumber  in  the  United  States,  twenty  are  important  in  this 
State.  Of  the  twenty-four  “minor  species”  half  of  them  are  cut  to 
some  extent  in  North  Carolina.  Many  of  the  “kinds”  consist  of  a num- 
ber of  species;  for  instance,  seven  different  species  of  yellow  pine  cut  iu 
North  Carolina  are  included  under  this  class,  though  the  great  majority 
of  the  yellow  pine  cut  belongs  to  two  species,  the  shortleaf  and  the 
loblolly.  Again,  sixteen  species  of  oak  are  cut  into  lumber,  some  of 
them,  however,  only  occasionally,  eight  hickories,  six  ashes,  three  or  four 
maples,  three  birches,  and  two  or  three  of  several  other  kinds.  At  least 
seventy  tree  species  are  used  for  lumber  in  North  Carolina,  and  several 
others  are  used  in  some  other  form  in  the  wood-using  industries  of  the 
State. 

These  trees  are  by  no  means  distributed  evenly  over  the  State.  In 
fact,  very  few  species  occur  in  commercial  quantities  from  the  eastern  to 
the  western  border.  Their  distribution  depends  chiefly  on  soil,  moisture, 
and  climate,  all  of  which  vary  greatly  in  the  different  parts  of  the  State. 


Wood-using  Industries  of  ISTorth  Carolina 


15 


The  range  of  temperature  from  the  southeastern  coast  to  an  elevation 
of  6,700  feet  is  accompanied  by  a change  in  typical  trees  from  the 
palmetto  of  Smith’s  Island  to  the  spruce  of  Mount  Mitchell. 

Three  general  forest  regions  are  recognized  in  ISTorth  Carolina,  the 
Mountain,  the  Piedmont,  and  the  Coastal  Plain.  The  two  former  are 
included  in  the  Southern  Appalachian  Hardwood  Region,  and  the  latter 
in  the  Southern  Pine  Region.  Each  of  these  three  contains  two  or  more 
fairly  distinct  forest  types,  each  furnishing  its  quota  towards  the  State’s 
timber  supply,  and  each  requiring  somewhat  different  methods  of  man- 
agement to  insure  a permanent  supply  of  the  best  quality  of  timber  in 
the  greatest  quantity,  which  is  the  chief  object  of  forestry. 

MOUNTAIN  REGION 

Approximately  one-sixth  of  the  area  of  the  State,  lying  to  the  north 
and  west  of  the  lower  or  eastern  slope  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  is  comprised 
within  this  region.  It  lies  above  an  elevation  of  some  1,500  feet,  and 
an  average  elevation  for  the  region  would  he  about  2,500  feet. 

Spruce  Type. — The  spruce  forests,  lying  on  the  summits  and  slopes 
of  the  higher  mountains  almost  entirely  above  an  elevation  of  5,500  feet, 
consisted  of  dense  stands  of  spruce  and  balsam  timber  occurring  in 
varying  proportion,  but  averaging  about  60  per  cent  spruce  and  40  per 
cent  balsam.  In  second  growth  the  balsam  is  more  abundant  than  the 
spruce.  These  beautiful  forests  have  been  so  inaccessible  that  up  to 
twenty  years  ago  they  were  almost  untouched  by  the  lumbermen.  Since 
that  time,  however,  owing  to  the  increasing  scarcity  of  spruce  for  lumber 
and  pulpwood,  this  type,  of  which  there  are  probably  not  more  than 
300,000  acres  in  the  State,  has  been  cut  until  at  the  present  time  prob- 
ably not  more  than  20  per  cent  of  the  area  contains  any  merchantable 
timber. 

The  cut-over  areas  have  almost  without  exception  been  so  severely 
burned  that  they  not  only  contain  no  young  growth  of  these  two  impor- 
tant species,  but  no  other  commercial  timber  trees  are  taking  their  place, 
the  second  growth  consisting  only  of  shrubs  and  trees  of  no  commercial 
value. 

During  the  World  War  there  was  a large  demand  for  high-grade 
spruce  lumber  for  aeroplane  construction,  but  the  great  majority  of 
spruce  and  balsam  timber  has  been  shipped  to  the  northeastern  states 
for  the  use  of  the  building  trades.  Practically  no  spruce  lumber  is  used 
in  ISTorth  Carolina  industries.  There  is,  however,  a steadily  increasing- 
demand  for  these  two  woods  for  paper  pulp,  and  probably  much  more  of 
the  spruce  in  ISTorth  Carolina  is  used  for  this  purpose  than  for  lumber. 

The  spruce  forests  have  been  considered  of  extraordinary  value  in 
protecting  the  headwaters  of  streams.  In  ISTorth  Carolina  uncut  spruce 


16 


Wood-using  Industries  of  North  Carolina 


forests  liave  seldom  been  known  to  burn.  Tbe  consequence  is  that  tbe 
very  heavy  rains  of  tbe  high  mountains  have  been  so  retarded  in  their 
runoff  that  there  has  been  a minimum  of  variation  in  tbe  flow  of  streams 
whose  sources  lie  in  these  high  altitudes.  Unfortunately,  these  lands 
have  been  all  held  by  extensively  private  owners,  who  have  been  obliged 
to  look  to  the  timber  for  profit  only.  They  should  have  been  in  public 
ownership  so  that  they  could  have  been  properly  managed  and  protected 
for  the  public  benefit.  The  future  prospects  are  not  bright.  A very 
long  time  must  elapse  before  the  burned  over  spruce  areas  can  be  re- 
forested naturally  to  the  same  species.  If  fires  are  kept  out,  undoubt- 
edly reproduction  will  eventually  be  secured,  but  without  sufficient  seed 
trees  this  will  be  a matter  of  decades  or  possibly  of  centuries.  Protec- 
tion of  the  areas  from  fire  is  the  first  practicable  measure.  This  should 
be  done  by  the  State  and  Nation  cooperating  with  the  landowner. 

Mountain  Hardwoods. — The  remainder  of  the  mountain  region  below 
the  spruce  is  known  as  the  mountain  hardwood  type.  The  original  for- 
ests contained  a large  number  of  valuable  as  well  as  less  important 
species.  The  composition  of  the  forest  varies  according  to  soil,  moisture 
and  situation,  so  that  the  type  is  for  convenience  divided  up  into  ridge, 
slope,  and  cove.  The  timber  on  the  ridges  consists  largely  of  chestnut 
oak,  chestnut,  red  maple,  black  gum,  and  a number  of  less  important 
species.  On  the  higher  ridges  and  slopes  above  3,500  or  4,000  feet  in 
elevation  often  the  chief  trees  are  red  oak,  sugar  maple,  buckeye,  and 
basswood,  as  well  as  chestnut  and  chestnut  oak.  The  coves  have  con- 
tained the  heaviest  and  most  valuable  timber,  but  owing  to  their  accessi- 
bility have  been  culled  first.  Here  have  grown  yellow  poplar,  basswood, 
cherry,  ash,  as  well  as  chestnut,  hickory,  hemlock,  and  several  species  of 
oak.  The  valuable  ash,  cherry,  birch,  and  walnut  have,  however,  been 
largely  cut  out.  Between  the  coves  and  the  higher  ridges  stretch  the 
slopes  supporting  timber  more  or  less  dense  and  of  large  size,  according 
to  the  soil  and  aspect.  The  north  slope  differs  very  little  in  composition 
from  the  cove,  while  the  south  slope  is  much  more  open  and  differs  little 
from  the  ridge  forests.  Occasionally  “benches”  and  some  of  the  cooler 
slopes  support  almost  pure  stands  of  hemlock,  but  usually  this  tree,  like 
the  white  pine,  occurs  mixed  with  the  hardwoods  in  comparatively  small 
proportion. 

The  earlier  lumbering  operations  selected  only  the  more  valuable 
trees,  and  often  the  cut-over  area  would  look  like  an  uncut  forest  from 
a little  distance.  With  the  general  use  of  logging  railroads,  however, 
more  and  more  of  the  timber  within  reach  has  been  taken,  until  now 
very  little  of  any  kind  of  timber  is  left  after  lumbering.  However, 
many  of  the  hardwood  trees  reproduce  readily  by  sprouts  from  the 


PLATE  I 


A.  Typical  forest  scene  in  the  Mountain  Region  of  North  Carolina. 


B.  Typical  forest  scene  in  the  Piedmont  Region  of  North  Carolina. 


Wood-using  Industries  of  Vorth  Carolina 


17 


stumps  or  roots  of  the  younger  trees,  while  others  come  in  from  seeds 
which  are  easily  scattered  by  the  wind.  Among  the  latter  are  the  poplar, 
ash,  basswood,  maple,  hemlock,  the  pines,  and  some  others.  If  seed 
trees  of  these  species  are  left  there  will  be  little  trouble  in  getting  a 
second  growth  with  these  trees  in  the  composition.  Tires,  however, 
must  he  prevented,  for  practically  all  of  these  wind-sown  and  valuable 
trees  are  easily  injured  by  lire  when  young,  and  the  burned-over  forest 
seldom  contains  any  appreciable  percentage  of  them.  The  object  of  the 
forester  in  this  type  is  to  secure  ample  seed  of  the  more  valuable  species 
by  retaining  trees  which  will  bear  them  and  to  prevent  fire  in  order  that 
the  young  trees  may  be  protected. 

PIEDMONT  REGION 

Prom  the  lower  slopes  of  the  Blue  Ridge  to  what  is  known  as  the  “fall 
line,”  which  is  where  the  Piedmont  Plateau  falls  off  into  the  Coastal 
Plain  Region,  the  original  forests  were  a mixture  of  hardwood  and  short- 
leaf  pine.  This  area  comprises  practically  one-third  of  the  State. 
Inroads  have  been  made  upon  this  forest  by  clearing  for  agriculture, 
until  at  the  present  time  probably  not  more  than  25  per  cent  of  the  area 
retains  the  remnants  of  the  original  forest.  Much  of  the  land  that  was 
cleared,  however,  has  been  allowed  to  revert  to  forest  growth,  and  this 
has  usually  come  up  to  pine,  making  an  entirely  different  type.  The 
mixed  hardwood  and  the  pine  and  the  second-growth  pine  are  the  two 
principal  types  of  this  region. 

Hardwood  and  Pine. — Very  little  of  this  forest  can  now  he  found  in 
its  original  state.  In  nearly  all  cases  the  old  pine  trees  have  been  cut 
for  lumber  and  often  the  best  hardwood  has  also  been  removed.  Excel- 
lent quality  oak  of  several  different  species  was  yielded  by  these  forests, 
and  the  establishment  of  the  furniture  industry  in  Piedmont  ISTorth 
Carolina  was  due  almost  entirely  to  the  proximity  of  a large  supply  of 
suitable  oak  timber.  Yellow  poplar  was  also  abundant  throughout  the 
region,  hut  in  consequence  of  lumbering  and  burning  the  woods  it  has 
become  exceedingly  scarce.  The  planing  mills  of  the  Piedmont  Region 
years  ago  manufactured  the  old  growth  pine  into  sash,  doors,  blinds,  and 
building  material  of  the  best  quality,  hut  now  they  depend  almost 
entirely  upon  the  second  growth  pine  forests  for  their  supply.  The 
principal  species  in  this  region  that  comprise  the  hardwood  and  pine 
type  of  forest  are,  in  the  order  of  their  importance,  the  oaks,  which 
nearly  always  form  as  much  or  more  than  one-half  the  stand,  shortleaf 
pine,  both  original  and  second  growth,  white  pine  and  chestnut  along 
the  western  border  of  the  region,  poplar,  hickory,  gum,  and  a number  of 
other  commercial  species. 


18 


Wood-using  Industries  of  ISTorth  Carolina 


Unlike  the  Mountain  Region,  lumbering  is  done  here  almost  entirely 
with  portable  mills.  The  areas  are  small,  usually  forming  parts  of  the 
farms,  and  it  is  seldom  that  more  than  500  or  1,000  acres  belongs  to  one 
owner.  It  is  because  of  the  comparatively  small  continuous  areas  of 
woodland  that  the  risk  from  fire  is  so  much  less  than  in  the  mountains 
or  the  Coastal  Plain. 

The  chief  feature  of  management  of  these  forests  is  the  removal  of 
the  old,  and  in  some  cases  comparatively  worthless  trees,  with  the  object 
of  favoring  thrifty  young  growth  of  the  better  species.  With  a demand 
for  firewood  as  great  as  in  any  State  in  the  Union,  a market  for  even  the 
valueless  trees  can  be  found  in  most  instances.  Owners  can  do  much 
towards  improving  their  woodland  by  following  such  a practice. 

Second  Growth  Pine  Type. — Throughout  the  Piedmont  Region  areas 
which  have  been  cleared  and  in  turn  abandoned  have  almost  uniformly 
grown  up  with  pine,  chiefly  the  shortleaf.  On  some  areas,  however,  the 
scrub  pine  has  come  in  and  on  the  higher,  poorer  situations  this  some- 
what inferior  tree  tends  to  supplant  the  shortleaf  pine.  In  the  eastern 
part  of  the  region  loblolly  pine  has  in  some  cases  taken  possession  of 
old  fields,  but  where  it  occurs  it  is  usually  mixed  with  shortleaf. 

These  second  growth  pine  forests,  many  of  them  occupying  land  which 
was  cultivated  prior  to  the  Civil  War,  have  for  the  past  twenty  years 
furnished  a large  part  of  the  pine  lumber  in  this  region.  Formerly 
“old  field”  pine  was  looked  upon  as  an  encumbrance  upon  the  ground, 
as  it  frequently  invaded  old  pastures.  It  has  only  been  in  comparatively 
recent  years  that  its  value  has  been  recognized.  The  shortleaf  pine 
grows  somewhat  slower  than  the  loblolly  pine  of  the  Coastal  Plain 
Region.  The  lumber  of  each  is  put  upon  the  northeastern  markets 
under  the  same  commercial  name  of  “JNorth  Carolina  pine.” 

Much  “old  field”  land  has  been  recleared  after  lumbering  because  it  is 
easier  to  remove  second  growth  pine  than  hardwood  stumps,  the  former 
usually  decaying  within  a very  few  years.  Where  the  land  has  not  been 
cleared  a growth  of  hardwoods  follows  the  cutting  of  the  pine,  and  often 
a fair  stand  of  hardwood  reproduction  is  already  on  the  ground  before 
cutting  commences.  Dogwood,  poplar,  red  gum,  oak,  hickory,  etc.,  form 
the  succeeding  forest.  With  the  reservation  of  seed  trees  and  the  pre- 
vention of  fires  it  should  be  possible  to  secure  a second  crop  of  pine, 
which  in  most  cases  would  be  desirable. 

COASTAL  PLAIN  REGION 

The  original  forests  of  the  Coastal  Plain  region,  which  comprises 
about  one-half  the  total  area  of  the  State,  were  largely  longleaf  pine. 
Ever  since  the  first  settlement,  however,  these  forests  have  been  de- 


Wood-using  Industeies  of  Uobth  Cabolina 


19 


structively  exploited  by  tbe  turpentine  operator,  tbe  lumberman,  and 
tbe  stock  raiser,  tbe  latter  often  responsible  for  tbe  damage  done  by  botb 
fire  and  bogs.  These  two,  fire  and  bogs,  have  been  tbe  principal  causes 
contributing  to  tbe  desolate  and  unprofitable  condition  of  mucb  of  our 
eastern  pine  lands  at  tbe  present  time.  There  are  now  practically  no 
old  growth  longleaf  pine  forests  left,  though  here  and  there  a few 
restricted  areas  of  second  growth  longleaf  may  be  found. 

Tbe  present  forest  area,  which  has  been  estimated  at  nearly  eleven 
million  acres,  consists  chiefly  of  second  growth  loblolly  pine  on  the 
uplands  and  hardwoods  in  the  river  bottoms  and  swamps. 

Coastal  Pine  Type. — Three-fourths  or  more  of  the  forest  area  of  the 
Coastal  Plain  Region  is  classed  as  pine  forest.  The  present  stand  and 
condition  varies  according  to  quality  of  soil,  drainage,  ownership,  and 
transportation  facilities.  It  was  recently  estimated  that  40  per  cent  of 
this  type  was  nonproducing,  namely  not  growing  sufficient  timber  on  it 
to  produce  a profitable  crop ; 25  per  cent  was  in  young  growth,  too  small 
for  market,  and  35  per  cent  still  supported  a crop  of  merchantable 
timber. 

Loblolly  pine,  or  shortleaf  pine  as  it  is  generally  called  throughout  the 
region,  is  the  principal  timber  tree.  When  sawed  and  put  upon  the 
market  it  is  almost  universally  known  as  hTorth  Carolina  pine  lumber. 
It  is  used  in  this  form  for  all  kinds  of  construction  purposes.  The  tree 
grows  rapidly  on  most  soils  in  the  region  and  readily  reproduces  itself 
naturally  where  fires  are  kept  out.  TJnlike  the  longleaf  pine,  its  seeds 
are  not  eaten  by  hogs,  though  the  seedlings  are  often  uprooted  and 
destroyed  by  these  animals. 

Although  much  of  the  pine  land  should  be  classed  as  potentially 
agricultural,  there  will  probably  be  no  demand  for  the  greater  part  of 
it  for  many  years  to  come.  Labor  is  scarce  and  the  reclamation  of  such 
lands  slow.  In  order,  therefore,  to  put  the  land  to  use  and  make  the 
investment  remunerative  there  should  be  no  idle  land,  and  what  will  not 
be  needed  for  farm  crops  for  the  next  forty  or  fifty  years  should  be 
encouraged  to  produce  a forest  crop. 

In  cutting  these  forests  provision  should  be  made  for  securing  suffi- 
cient seed,  even  by  leaving  seed  trees  where  necessary,  and  fire  should 
be  absolutely  prevented.  Some  have  considered  this  an  impossibility, 
but  no  one  has  a right  to  this  conclusion  until  an  earnest  effort  towards 
forest  fire  prevention  has  been  made  by  the  landowners,  the  local  people, 
and  the  State  all  cooperating. 

Hardwood  Swamps. — Along  the  rivers  and  smaller  streams  occur 
alluvial  and  muck  lands,  more  or  less  drained,  but  usually  very  wet 
during  part  of  the  year.  These  are  occupied  mostly  by  a variety  of 


20 


Wood-tjsing  Industries  oe  Worth  Carolina 


hardwoods,  sometimes  mixed  with  cypress  or  juniper.  The  latter  is 
found  in  wet  sandy  and  often  peaty  swamps,  while  the  former  is  more 
common  on  heavier  soils  and  near  running  water. 

On  the  heavier  lands,  especially  in  the  overflow  swamps  along  rivers, 
several  species  of  oak  are  the  chief  timber  trees.  These  are  associated 
with  red  maple,  elms  and  gums.  In  other  places  the  gums  predominate. 
Up  until  recent  years  these  were  not  lumbered  to  any  extent,  and  even 
yet  the  demand  for  gum  lumber  is  somewhat  limited.  It  is,  however, 
cut  into  veneer  for  packages  and  furniture,  and  there  has  been  con- 
siderable inquiry  about  it  for  paper  making. 

These  swamp  lands,  when  cut  over,  come  up  largely  to  red  gum,  black 
gum,  and  tupelo,  though  seedlings  from  other  hardwood  species  are 
usually  present  in  more  or  less  abundance.  Cypress  and  juniper  repro- 
duce very  irregularly,  the  large  openings  made  by  logging  letting  in 
more  direct  sunlight  than  is  good  for  the  young  seedlings  of  these  species. 

Many  of  these  swamps,  when  drained,  make  excellent  agricultural 
lands,  hut  some  are  better  adapted  to  forest  growth,  and  upon  such  areas 
logging  should  be  done  so  that  a second  crop  of  timber  may  reasonably 
be  expected.  Tire  prevention  and  the  protection  of  the  small  trees  is  all 
that  is  usually  necessary,  though  sometimes  retention  of  seed  trees  may 
be  advisable.  Fire  prevention  is  fairly  simple  in  these  swamps  and  if 
fires  are  prevented,  the  hardwoods  should  soon  form  shade  enough  to 
protect  the  juniper,  and  where  seed  trees  are  present  a new  crop  of  this 
valuable  tree  may  he  expected.  Cypress  reproduction  is  more  difficult 
to  secure,  and  like  the  longleaf  pine,  it  may  be  destined  to  be  replaced 
by  other  more  adaptable  species. 

DEPLETION  OF  FOREST  RESOURCES 

The  forests  of  this  country  have  been  divided  into  several  main  divi- 
sions, according  to  the  predominant  species  that  grow  in  each.  One  of 
these  is  the  Southern  Appalachian  Hardwood  Kegion,  which  includes  the 
hardwood  forests  of  Maryland,  Virginia,  West  Virginia,  Uorth  Carolina, 
South  Carolina,  Georgia,  Alabama,  Kentucky,  and  Tennessee.  Almost 
the  entire  area  embraced  within  this  region  was  once  covered  by  virgin 
forests.  These  forests  constituted  a wealth  of  timber  comprising  oak, 
chestnut,  and  yellow  poplar  of  large  size  and  high  quality,  walnut, 
cherry,  hickory,  basswood,  and  the  other  valuable  hardwoods,  as  well  as 
white  and  yellow  pine,  and  hemlock.  The  earliest  operations  in  the 
region  consisted  of  the  removal  of  only  such  trees  as  walnut,  cherry,  and 
the  finest  oak  and  yellow  poplar  from  easily  accessible  situations.  The 
introduction  of  modern  logging  methods  extended  operations  into  nearly 
all  parts  of  the  region,  so  that  at  present  comparatively  little  virgin 


PLATE  II 


Typical  forest  scene  in  the  Coastal  Plain  Region  of  North  Carolina. 


'Wood-using  Industries  of  Worth  Carolina 


21 


timber  remains,  most  of  it  remote  and  difficult  to  log.  Present  logging 
operations  consist  for  the  most  part  of  tlie  working  over  of  previously 
culled  stands  and  tlie  removal  of  practically  every  saw  log  as  well  as  a 
large  part  of  tlie  smaller  material.  Tlie  lumber  cut  from  suck  timber 
is  necessarily  of  poorer  quality  than  tliat  previously  produced. 

In  1909  the  peak  of  lumber  production  was  reached  in  the  Southern 
Appalachian  Hardwood  Pegion,  the  cut  for  that  year  being  approxi- 
mately 4 billion  feet.  Since  1909  the  cut  of  lumber  in  the  region  has 
gradually  declined  so  that  the  normal  cut  now  is  in  the  neighborhood 
of  3 billion  feet.  The  lumber  cut,  however,  represents  only  about  a 
third  of  the  total  consumption  of  wood  in  the  region.  The  balance 
represents  material  removed  in  the  form  of  extract  wood  and  bark, 
poles,  posts,  ties,  cooperage  stock,  fuel  wood,  and  other  products  not  cut 
in  the  form  of  lumber.  Much  of  the  material  converted  into  these 
products,  consists  of  second  growth  timber.  In  the  case  of  lumber  pro- 
duction, however,  the  large  proportion  of  the  timber  is  cut  from  old 
growth  stands.  With  the  exhaustion  of  the  old  growth,  lumbermen  will 
then  have  to  look  to  the  second  growth  timber  as  a source  of  supply,  and 
since  very  little  of  this  will  yield  lumber  of  a better  quality  than  Wo.  1 
Common,  the  effect  upon  the  furniture  and  other  industries  largely 
dependent  upon  high-grade  lumber  will  be  very  serious. 

The  total  quantity  of  timber  removed  annually  from  this  region  is 
further  augmented  by  that  which  is  destroyed  by  fire  and  disease.  The 
chestnut  blight  has  entered  the  mountainous  area  and,  according  to 
pathologists,  is  almost  certain  to  sweep  through  the  hardwood  forests 
and  eventually  eliminate  this  important  species.  As  a result,  tanning 
and  other  industries  dependent  upon  this  tree  for  raw  material  will  be 
deprived  of  their  chief  source  of  supply  and  other  species  will  be  called 
upon  to  supply  this  demand,  thus  further  adding  to  the  depletion  of  the 
timber.  It  is  impossible  to  even  estimate  the  depletion  resulting  from 
the  chestnut  tree  blight  or  from  fire,  which  annually  takes  a heavy  toll 
from  the  forests  of  the  region. 

Considerable  uncertainty  exists  in  the  minds  of  even  the  best  informed 
men  in  the  lumber  industry  as  to  the  duration  of  the  cut  in  the  remain- 
ing old  growth  stands  of  timber  in  the  Southern  Appalachian  Hardwood 
Eegion.  In  West  Virginia,  which  has  been  one  of  the  leading  hardwood 
producing  states,  the  statement  was  made  recently  by  one  of  the  best 
informed  men  in  the  lumber  industry  that  the  length  of  cut  on  a large 
scale  would  not  exceed  five  years.  A responsible  official  in  a large  mill 
in  that  state  reported  that  most  of  the  mills  would  be  cut  out  within 
from  five  to  eight  years.  The  State  Forester  of  Worth  Carolina  esti- 
mates that  the  supply  of  old  growth  hardwood  timber  will  last  approxi- 


22 


Wood-using  Industeies  of  NTobth  Cabolina 


mately  17  years.  A prominent  lumberman  of  western  [North  Carolina 
stated  that  in  bis  opinion  tbe  cut  from  old  growth  timber  in  north 
Georgia  and  southwestern  [North  Carolina  will  last  20  years,  but  that 
this  cut  will  come  increasingly  from  small  operations.  In  Kentucky  and 
Tennessee  the  duration  of  the  cut  of  old  growth  hardwoods  is  believed 
by  the  manager  of  one  lumber  company  to  be  20  years,  while  another 
well  informed  man  sees  15  years  ahead  for  the  Kentucky  hardwoods. 
A future  cut  of  15  years  is  predicted  for  old  growth  timber  in  the 
Southern  Appalachian  Region  by  another  representative  of  the  industry, 
while  still  another  estimates  that  the  supply  will  last  25  years.  The 
consensus  of  opinion  among  the  best  informed  men  in  the  industry  seems 
to  be  that  if  present  conditions  continue  the  Southern  Appalachians  will 
have  ceased  to  function  as  an  important  lumber  producing  region  of 
high-grade  hardwoods  within  20  years,  and  that  within  25  years  the 
old  growth  timber  will  be  practically  gone. 

The  extent  of  depletion  of  the  old  growth  hardwoods  in  the  Southern 
Appalachian  Hardwood  Region  is  further  reflected  and  perhaps  more 
forcibly  brought  to  our  attention  by  the  statements  made  in  the  schedules 
furnished  by  the  wood-using  factories  of  [North  Carolina,  from  which 
the  data  in  this  report  were  prepared.  Referring  to  local  supplies  at 
the  present  time  in  comparison  with  conditions  existing  during  the  past 
10  or  20  years,  93  per  cent  of  the  furniture  plants  in  the  State,  91  per 
cent  of  the  vehicle  factories,  and  100  per  cent  of  the  chair  makers 
reported  that  supplies  had  been  greatly  reduced.  In  the  matter  of  pros- 
pective local  supplies  on  the  basis  of  a 10-year  outlook,  12  per  cent  of 
the  furniture,  22  per  cent  of  the  vehicle,  and  43  per  cent  of  the  chair 
factories  reported  that  supplies  would  be  exhausted.  That  supplies 
would  be  gradually  reduced  was  reported  by  57  per  cent  of  the  chair 
makers,  88  per  cent  of  the  furniture  factories,  and  67  per  cent  of  the 
vehicle  plants.  Of  all  firms  in  the  State  represented  by  these  three 
classes  of  establishments  only  11  saw  an  outlook  for  sufficient  raw  mate- 
rial, and  these  were  all  vehicle  plants. 

Depletion  has  not  stopped  with  the  hardwoods  in  the  Southern 
Appalachian  Region.  The  coniferous  trees  have  come  in  for  their  share, 
especially  the  yellow  pines.  Recent  estimates  place  the  original  yellow 
pine  area  of  [North  Carolina  at  10  million  acres.  Of  this  amount  all  but 
500,000  acres  have  been  cut  over.  In  the  Coastal  Plain  region  longleaf 
pine  was  once  the  characteristic  forest  tree.  Turpentine  operations, 
lumbering,  the  destruction  of  seeds  and  seedlings  by  hogs,  and  other 
agencies  have  brought  about  the  depletion  of  the  supplies  of  this  impor- 
tant species  in  the  State.  The  present  stand  of  longleaf  pine  in  [North 
Carolina  is  hardly  more  than  50,000  acres,  most  of  it  being  second 


Wood-tjsing  Industries  of  ISTorth  Carolina 


23 


growth  timber,  widely  scattered  in  small  areas.  Such  virgin  longleaf 
pine  areas  as  remain  will  no  doubt  soon  be  logged  and  become  either 
nonproductive  or  be  restocked  with  loblolly  or  shortleaf  pine.  The  most 
valuable  tree,  from  an  economic  standpoint,  in  ISTorth  Carolina  is  lob- 
lolly pine,  a species  that  now  occupies  in  almost  pure  stands,  much  of 
it  over  100  years  old,  nearly  all  of  the  cut-over  longleaf  pine  lands, 
especially  those  in  the  Coastal  Plain  Region.  As  previously  mentioned, 
loblolly  pine  and  shortleaf  pine  in  the  proportion  of  80  per  cent  of  the 
former  and  20  per  cent  of  the  latter  comprise  the  pine  marketed  in  the 
State  as  ISTorth  Carolina  pine.  The  softwood  lumber  production  of 
ISTorth  Carolina  in  1921  was  732,035,000  feet,  board  measure,  and  of 
this  quantity  647,845,000  board  feet,  or  over  88  per  cent,  was  of  yellow 
pine.  Since  comparatively  little  longleaf  pine  is  cut  in  ISTorth  Carolina, 
the  bulk  of  that  reported  as  yellow  pine  consisted  of  ISTorth  Carolina 
pine.  On  the  other  hand,  the  total  quantity  of  wood  consumed  by  the 
wood-using  industries  of  the  State  in  1919  was  over  493  million  feet, 
while  of  this  amount  more  than  248  million  feet  was  ISTorth  Carolina 
pine.  These  figures  of  production  and  consumption  show  the  promi- 
nence of  this  species  in  ISTorth  Carolina. 

As  already  stated,  all  but  500,000  acres  of  the  original  10  million 
acres  of  yellow  pine  land  in  Uorth  Carolina  has  been  cut  over.  Of  this 
total  cut-over  area  3,600,000  acres  are  now  restocking  with  trees  of  saw- 
timber  size,  5,400,000  acres  are  restocking  with  trees  of  merely  cordwood 
size,  while  1,200,000  acres  are  not  restocking  at  all.  From  this  it  can 
be  seen  that  the  forest  area  of  ISTorth  Carolina  supporting  yellow  pine 
saw-timber  size  has  decreased  more  than  50  per  cent.  This  is  further 
brought  out  by  the  fact  that  the  lumber  cut  of  yellow  pine  in  ISTorth 
Carolina  has  decreased  from  1,575,186,000  board  feet  in  1909  to  931,- 
015,000  board  feet  in  1921,  or  over  40  per  cent  during  the  13-year  period 
mentioned. 

In  1909  the  cut  of  white  pine  lumber  in  ISTorth  Carolina  was  96,624,- 
000  board  feet,  while  in  1921  it  was  only  3,360,000  board  feet,  a decrease 
in  13  years  of  over  92  per  cent.  This  is  but  another  evidence  of  forest 
depletion  in  the  State. 

The  dependence  of  the  wood-using  factories  throughout  the  entire 
United  States  upon  the  forest  resources  of  the  country  is  self-evident. 
In  ISTorth  Carolina  it  is  particularly  noticeable,  since,  as  shown  in 
Table  3,  home-grown  timber  supplied  nearly  86  per  cent  of  the  total 
quantity  consumed  by  the  wood-using  industries  of  the  State.  If  our 
forests  are  to  continue  to  supply  the  enormous  demands  for  raw  material 
that  are  made  upon  them  it  is  perfectly  obvious  that  some  steps  must  be 
taken  immediately  to  insure  future  crops.  Apparently  there  is  but  one 


24 


Wood-using  Industries  oe  Uorth  Carolina 


adequate  means  available,  the  establishment  of  a sound  forest  policy, 
the  details  of  which  will  have  to  be  worked  out  to  fit  the  conditions 
existing  in  different  regions  of  the  country  and  perhaps  also  in  different 
states. 

THE  FUTURE  TIMBER  SUPPLY 

This  country  may  in  a way  he  likened  unto  the  spendthrift  who 
scatters  his  money  to  the  winds  and  later  has  only  vain  regrets  to  remind 
him  of  his  squandered  fortune.  Unlike  the  spendthrift,  however,  the 
country  has  come  to  the  realization  of  how  wasteful  it  has  been  with 
its  timber  wealth,  and  is  taking  timely  cognizance  of  its  condition  with 
a view  of  improving  it.  The  necessity  for  prompt,  vigorous  action 
looking  to  the  perpetuation  of  the  timber  resources  of  the  United  States 
is  apparent  not  only  to  a large  number  of  individuals,  but  also  to 
many  of  the  important  industries  which  are  partly  or  wholly  dependent 
upon  the  forest  as  a source  of  raw  material.  Some  of  the  states 
recognized  the  handwriting  on  the  wall  years  ago,  others  more  re- 
cently, and  immediately  took  action  in  the  matter  of  enacting  forest 
laws  with  the  ultimate  object  of  providing  for  future  crops  of  timber. 
At  present  thirty-five  states  maintain  either  a state  forester,  state  board 
of  forestry,  forest  conservation  commission,  or  some  similar  state  organi- 
zation, the  functions  of  which  are  to  carry  out  the  provisions  of  existing 
laws  relating  to  reforestation  and  fire  protection.  The  Federal  Govern- 
ment is  doing  its  part  in  this  work  through  its  administration  of  the 
national  forests  in  the  west,  its  acquisition  of  lands  under  the  Weeks  Law 
for  national  forests  in  the  east,  its  cooperative  work  with  the  various 
state  forest  organizations,  and  its  extensive  educational  program  with 
the  general  public.  Large  corporations,  such  as  railroads,  oil  companies, 
and  mining  companies  are  also  vitally  interested  in  the  subject,  and  some 
of  them  are  either  improving  existing  timber  holdings  or  utilizing  other 
lands  for  reforestation  purposes. 

All  of  this  indicates  progress,  but  forest  depletion  in  this  country  has 
assumed  such  alarming  proportions  that  nothing  but  a carefully  worked 
out,  nation-wide  forest  policy  •will  serve  to  prevent  further  devastation. 
Such  a policy  should  have  the  support  of  all  interested  parties.  Impor- 
tant among  these  are  the  private  owners,  whose  forest  lands  constitute  a 
large  portion  of  the  total  timbered  area  of  the  country.  The  provisions 
of  such  a policy  are  manifold.  Two  of  them  stand  out  prominently, 
however,  and  merit  immediate  attention,  namely,  forest  fire  prevention 
and  reforestation.  In  this  work  the  Federal  Government  naturally  will 
and  should  be  expected  to  take  a leading  part,  especially  in  such  matters 
as  the  lending  of  aid  to  the  activities  of  the  several  states,  the  standardi- 
zation of  technical  practice  in  reforestation  and  fire  protection,  and  by 


Wood-using  Industries  of  FTorth  Carolina 


25 


the  further  acquisition  of  such  land  as  is  either  more  suitable  for  the 
growing  of  timber  or  more  valuable  for  the  protection  of  watersheds 
than  it  is  for  agriculture.  Such  a forest  policy  naturally  calls  for  new 
legislation  and  possibly  the  revision  of  existing  laws,  both  national  and 
state.  For  example,  before  the  Federal  Government  can  hope  to  increase 
the  scope  of  its  present  forest  policy  to  one  of  a national  character  suffi- 
cient appropriation  from  the  public  funds  must  be  made  available  for 
the  purpose.  On  the  other  hand,  the  full  cooperation  of  the  private 
landowner  cannot  be  secured  until  state  laws  are  enacted  which  will 
bring  about  an  equitable  form  of  forest  taxation  and  at  the  same  time 
place  upon  the  owners  certain  responsibility  in  dealing  with  precautions 
against  forest  fires,  disposal  of  slash,  and  other  factors  directly  affecting 
forest  production. 

Timber  depletion  in  this  country  has  resulted  not  so  much  from  the 
use  of  the  forests  as  the  failure  to  grow  them.  Because  of  this  fact 
there  are  now  in  the  United  States  326  million  acres  of  cut-over  land, 
on  81  million  acres  of  which  there  is  practically  no  timber  growth,  due 
principally  to  forest  fires  and  improper  methods  of  logging.  This  enor- 
mous area  is  being  added  to  annually  at  the  rate  of  from  3 to  4 million 
acres,  as  the  cutting  and  burning  of  forests  continues.  It  is  estimated 
that  there  are  available  in  this  country  a total  of  463  million  acres  of 
land,  which,  from  an  economic  standpoint,  are  more  suitable  for  the 
growing  of  timber  than  for  any  other  use.  With  a national  forest  policy 
in  full  and  efficient  operation,  this  land  could  eventually  be  made  suffi- 
ciently productive  to  meet  adequately  the  country’s  future  demands  for 
wood. 


PART  II 


KINDS  OF  WOOD 

The  wood-using  factories  of  North.  Carolina  consumed  a total  of 
493,151,871  board  feet  of  lumber  in  1919,  representing  varying  quanti- 
ties cut  from  28  different  kinds  of  wood.  In  similar  reports  prepared 
for  other  States  tbe  information  requested  on  tbe  questionnaire  used  in 
gathering  the  original  data  called  for  the  exact  name  of  the  various 
woods  used,  which  permitted  of  the  listing  of  the  different  kinds  accord- 
ing to  species,  such  as  red  oak,  white  ash,  silver  maple,  red  cedar,  etc. 
This  made  it  possible  for  the  reader  to  study  the  uses  according  to 
inherent  properties.  In  the  collection  of  the  material  for  this  report, 
however,  only  the  generic  name  was  for  the  most  part  specified,  such  as 
oak,  poplar,  hickory,  etc.  In  addition,  the  questionnaire  used  listed 
yellow  pine  as  second  growth,  original,  and  longleaf.  In  view  of  the 
fact  that  these  terms  as  used  in  any  one  of  the  three  natural  divisions 
of  the  State,  namely : the  Coastal  Plain,  the  Piedmont,  and  the  Mountain 
regions,  are  intended  to  include  the  predominant  species  of  yellow  pine, 
it  was  found  difficult  to  differentiate  the  various  species  implied  in  each 
case.  Since  for  the  most  part  the  bulk  of  the  yellow  pine  in  the  State 
is  either  shortleaf  pine  or  loblolly  pine,  it  was  considered  advisable  to 
include  all  wood  reported  either  as  second  growth  or  original  pine  under 
the  designation  of  North  Carolina  pine,  the  term  most  commonly  em- 
ployed by  the  lumbermen  of  the  State,  especially  those  of  the  Coastal 
Plain  Region. 

In  Table  1 there  is  shown  the  quantity  of  all  of  the  various  woods 
used  by  the  North  Carolina  wood-using  factories  in  1919,  together  with 
the  percentage  which  each  represents  of  the  total  consumption.  This 
table  also  gives  the  average  price  per  thousand  feet,  board  measure,  paid 
for  the  raw  material  f.  o.  b.  factory,  and  the  total  cost  for  each  wood. 

North  Carolina  pine  ranks  first  among  the  various  woods  listed  in 
Table  1 with  a total  of  248,221,156  feet,  board  measure.  This  represents 
slightly  over  50  per  cent  of  the  total  consumption  of  the  State.  Oak 
occupies  second  place,  with  85,353,007  board  feet,  or  17.31  per  cent. 
Red  gum  was  third,  with  40,443,000,  or  8.20  per  cent,  and  yellow  poplar 
fourth,  the  quantity  of  this  wood  used  being  21,560,963  board  feet,  or 
4.37  per  cent  of  the  total.  Twenty-four  other  woods  were  used  in  grad- 
ually decreasing  amounts.  Rosewood  and  mahogany  were  the  only  two 
foreign  woods  reported. 


Wood-using  Industries  of  North  Carolina 


27 


Black  walnut  was  the  most  expensive  domestic  wood  used,  with  an 
average  price  of  $201.62  per  thousand  board  feet.  Sugar  pine,  a Pacific 
Coast  wood,  ranked  second,  the  price  paid  for  it  being  $135  per  thousand 
feet.  Of  the  domestic  woods  used  ISTorth  Carolina  pine  was  the  least 
expensive  wood  among  the  conifers  purchased  and  elm  was  the  cheapest 
of  the  hardwoods. 


Table  1. — Summary  of  Kinds  of  Wood  Used  in  North  Carolina  in  1919 


Kind  of  Wood 

Quantity 
Feet,  B.  M. 

Per 

Cent 

Average 
Cost  per 
M.  Feet 
F.  O.  B. 
Factory 

Total  Cost 

Pine,  North  Carolina . 

248,221,156 

50.33 

S 29 .03 

$ 7,206,524 

Oak 

85,353,007 

17.31 

55.34 

4,723,013 

Gum,  red 

40,443,000 

8.20 

73.90 

2,988,589 

Poplar,  yellow 

21,560,963 

4.37 

42.04 

906,383 

Pine,  longleaf 

21,313,077 

4.32 

38 .86 

828,158 

Chestnut 

20,996,915 

4.26 

42.25 

887, 134 

Gum,  black 

19,524,000 

3.96 

25.12 

490,379 

9,124,500 

1.85 

44.70 

407,841 

Maple - 

8,325,000 

1.69 

54.50 

453,690 

Pine,  white 

6,521,557 

1.32 

40.14 

261,759 

Cottonwood __ 

2,000,000 

.41 

75 .00 

150,000 

Dogwood 

1,575,000 

.32 

35 .00 

55,125 

1,525,500 

.31 

60.25 

91,919 

Hemlock 

l,t)28,000 

.21 

40.00 

41,120 

Walnut,  black 

838,000 

.17 

201 .62 

168,961 

Basswood 

735,000 

.15 

64.42 

47,350 

Ash 

627, 000 

.13 

50 .45 

31,632 

Locust 

370,000 

.07 

40.54 

15,000 

Cypress 

350,000 

.07 

40.00 

14,000 

Beech 

205,000 

.04 

35 .29 

7,235 

Buckeye _ 

200,000 

.04 

104 .06 

20,812 

Sycamore 

112,000 

.02 

57.32 

6,420 

Cedar 

36,000 

.01 

30.00 

1,080 

Mahogany 

32,500 

.01 

311.54 

10,125 

Rosewood __  _ . . 

25,000 

.01 

450.00 

11,250 

15,000 

44.00 

660 

6,500 

24.00 

156 

5,000 

135 .00 

675 

2,083,196 

.42 

23 .42 

48,798 

Totals 

493,151,871 

100.00 

S 40 .30 

$ 19,875,788 

Table  2 presents  some  very  interesting  data  relating  to  prices  paid 
for  raw  material  by  the  wood  users  of  North  Carolina.  In  this  table 
are  shown  the  prices  paid  for  the  different  kinds  of  woods  used  in  1909 
and  1919.  The  1909  figures  are  those  which  were  published  in  Economic 
Paper  No.  20  of  the  North  Carolina  Geological  and  Economic  Survey, 
which  constitutes  the  first  report  issued  on  the  wood-using  industries 
of  the  State.  The  1919  figures  are  those  given  in  this  present  report, 
which  is  a revision  of  the  report  mentioned  above.  Not  all  of  the  woods 


28 


Wood-using  Industries  of  ISTorth  Carolina 


shown  in  the  1919  report  were  reported  in  use  in  the  1909  report,  and 
for  this  reason  it  was  only  possible  to  show  in  Table  2 the  various  woods 
and  the  prices  paid  for  those  that  were  used  in  both  years.  It  will  be 
noted  that  for  the  woods  shown  the  1919  figures  represent  increases  over 
the  prices  paid  in  1909  of  from  40  to'  over  500  per  cent. 


Table  2. — Average  Prices  Paid  for  Raw  Material  by  the  Wood-using  Factories 
of  North  Carolina  in  1909  and  1919 


Kind  of  Wood 

Average  Cost  per  M. 
Feet  F.  O.  B.  Factory 

Per 

Cent  of 

1909 

1919 

Increase 

S 12 .80 

S 29 .03 

127 

Oak 

18.05 

55.34 

207 

Poplar,  yellow 

17.61 

42.04 

139 

16.50 

42.25 

21.28 

44.70 

110 

Maple 

15.95 

54.50 

242 

Pine,  white 

15.80 

40.14 

154 

12.00 

525 

18.75 

35.00 

87 

Birch 

26.72 

60.25 

125 

12.00 

40.00 

233 

Walnut,  black 

42.15 

201 .62 

270 

Basswood 

20.75 

64.42 

210 

25.62 

50.45 

97 

14.00 

40.54 

190 

13.67 

40.00 

193 

19.74 

35.29 

79 

40.00 

104 .06 

160 

10.76 

57.32 

433 

21.40 

30.00 

40 

147.42 

311.54 

111 

Mountain  laurel  (Kalmia) 

10 .00 

44.00 

340 

13.38 

24.00 

79 

STATE-GROWN  AND  IMPORTED  WOODS 

Over  85  per  cent  of  the  493,151,871  board  feet  of  lumber  consumed 
by  the  secondary  wood-using  industries  of  ISTorth  Carolina  was  grown  in 
the  State.  The  entire  supply  of  10  of  the  28  different  kinds  of  wood 
used  came  from  within  the  State.  These  were  dogwood,  hemlock,  bass- 
wood, ash,  locust,  cypress,  beech,  cedar,  mountain  laurel,  and  elm.  In 
addition,  the  entire  amount  used  of  those  woods  grouped  under  the 
general  heading  of  “all  other”  was  also  State-grown.  The  quantity 
produced  within  the  State  of  all  but  one  of  the  remaining  17  woods  was 
greater  than  the  quantity  shipped  in.  The  exception  mentioned  was 
red  gum,  of  which  10,782,500  board  feet,  or  26.66  per  cent,  was  cut 
within  ISTorth  Carolina,  while  29,660,500  board  feet,  or  73.34  per  cent, 
came  from  sources  outside  the  State. 


Wood-using  Industries  of  North  Carolina 


29 


Table  3 shows  the  total  quantity  of  the  different  kinds  of  woods  used 
and  the  amount  and  percentage  of  each  which  was  home-grown  or 
imported. 


Table  3. — Summary  of  State-groivn  and  Imported  Woods 


Kind  of  Wood 

Quantity 

Feet, 

B,  M. 

Source  of 

Grown  in 
North  Carolina 

Supply 

Grown  Outside  of 
North  Carolina 

Quantity 

Per  Cent 

Quantity 

Per  Cent 

Pine,  North  Carolina 

248,221,156 

231,353,156 

93.20 

16,868,000 

6.80 

Oak 

85,353,007 

73,165,507 

85.72 

12,187,500 

14.28 

Gum,  red 

40,443,000 

10,782,500 

26.66 

29,660.500 

73  .34 

Poplar,  yellow 

21,560,963 

19,350,263 

89.75 

2,210,700 

10 .25 

Pine,  longleaf - 

21,313,077 

18,898,077 

88.67 

2,415,000 

11.33 

Chestnut 

20,996,915 

20,696,915 

98.57 

300,000 

1.43 

Gum,  black 

19,524,000 

19,216,000 

98 .42 

308,000 

1.58 

Hickory 

9,124,500 

7,999,500 

87.67 

1,125,000 

12.33 

Maple 

8,325,000 

5,192,500 

62 .37 

3,132,500 

37.63 

Pine,  white - 

6,521,557 

6,443,357 

98.80 

78,200 

1.20 

2,000,000 

2,000,000 

100.00 

1,575,000 

100 .00 

Birch. 

1*,  525, 500 

1,375,500 

90.17 

150,000 

9.83 

1,028,000 

1,028,000 

100 .00 

Walnut,  black . .. 

838,000 

576,750 

68.82 

261,250 

31.18 

735,000 

735,000 

100 .00 

627,000 

627,000 

100 .00 

370,000 

370,000 

100  .00 

350,000 

350,000 

100 .00 

205,000 

205,000 

100.00 

Buckeye 

200,000 

175,000 

87 .50 

25,000 

12 .50 

Sycamore 

112,000 

77,000 

68.75 

35,000 

31.25 

36,000 

36,000 

100.00 

32,500 

32,500 

100.00 

Rosewood __  - 

25,000 

25,000 

100 .00 

15,000 

15,000 

100.00 

Elm... 

6,500 

6,500 

100.00 

5,000 

5,000 

100.00 

All  other 

2,083,196 

2,083,196 

100.00 

Totals . 

493,151,871 

422,332,721 

85.64 

70,819,150 

14.36 

THE  WOODS  DESCRIBED 

The  following  is  a brief  description  of  the  principal  woods  employed 
in  North  Carolina  by  the  different  wood-using  industries  in  the  manu- 
facture of  the  wide  range  of  commodities  made  partly  or  wholly  of  wood 
which  they  produce.  Lumbermen  divide  woods  into  two  general  classes, 
namely,  hardwoods  and  softwoods,  the  former  comprising  those  trees 
which  have  broad  leaves  and  the  latter  those  with  needle  leaves.  It  has 
been  found  that  this  classification  holds  true  generally  and  is  practical, 
and  for  these  reasons  it  has  become  standardized. 


30 


Wood-using  Industries  of  Horth  Carolina 


softwoods 

Eight  species  of  conifers  were  called  upon  to  furnish  wood  in  1919 
for  final  manufacture  in  the  State.  Eive  of  them  were  pines,  while  the 
other  three  consisted  of  hemlock,  cypress,  and  cedar,  respectively.  The 
quantity  of  wood  contributed  by  the  coniferous  trees  constituted  over 
50  per  cent  of  the  total  amount  used. 

North  Carolina  Pine  (Finns  taeda  and  Pinus  echinata). — Pine  mar- 
keted and  known  as  ISTorth  Carolina  pine,  or  Virginia  pine  as  it  is 
frequently  called  in  that  State,  is  composed  of  approximately  80  per 
cent  loblolly  pine  and  20  per  cent  shortleaf  pine.  In  the  forest  these 
two  species  are  easily  distinguished,  because  the  needles  of  the  short- 
leaf  are  generally  shorter  and  the  cones  smaller  than  those  of  lob- 
lolly. When  sawed  into  lumber,  however,  it  is  often  exceedingly  diffi- 
cult to  tell  them  apart,  owing  to  the  close  similarity  of  the  two  woods. 
Shortleaf  pine  grows  sparingly  as  far  north  as  Long  Island,  Hew  York, 
and  at  one  time  was  plentiful  in  Hew  Jersey,  Delaware,  and  Maryland. 
At  the  present  time  it  is  cut  for  lumber,  perhaps,  no  farther  north  than 
Virginia.  Shortleaf  reaches  its  best  development  and  is  most  plentiful 
in  northern  Louisiana,  Arkansas,  and  Missouri,  and  in  those  states  is 
often  called  by  the  trade  name  of  Arkansas  soft  pine.  In  Horth  Caro- 
lina it  is  usually  found  in  the  drier  situations  and  frequently  enters  into 
the  composition  of  upland  forests.  It  appears  less  commonly  in  the 
Coastal  Plain  Eegion,  being  especially  rare  south  of  the  Heuse  Piver. 
Loblolly  pine  is  a tree  of  the  Coastal  Plain  Eegion,  and  finds  its  best 
development  in  the  form  of  original  growth  in  moist,  deep  soil.  Land 
once  cultivated  and  then  abandoned  a century  or  more  ago  by  farmers 
now  supports  stands  of  second  growth  loblolly. 

The  importance  of  Horth  Carolina  pine  in  the  State  is  evidenced  by 
the  fact  that  more  than  half  of  the  wood  used  by  the  wood-consuming 
factories  in  1919  was  of  this  species.  The  planing  mill  factories  used 
the  largest  quantity,  while  next  in  importance  from  the  standpoint  of 
consumption  were,  in  the  order  named,  those  industries  making  boxes 
and  crates,  those  producing  sash,  doors,  and  blinds,  and  the  furniture 
manufacturers.  The  quantity  of  Horth  Carolina  pine  consumed  by  the 
various  wood-using  factories  of  the  State  is  shown  in  Table  4. 

Longleaf  Pine  ( Pinus  palustris) . — This  tree  is  the  most  important  of 
the  southern  yellow  pine  group.  Virginia  marks  the  most  northerly 
limit  of  its  range,  while  the  heaviest  stands  are  now  located  in  Louisiana 
and  the  eastern  part  of  Texas,  where  virgin  timber  is  being  cut.  Long- 
leaf  pine  is  often  referred  to  as  Georgia  pine  and  hard  pine.  It  is  the 
chief  source  of  turpentine  and  rosin,  and  because  of  this  is  sometimes 
called  pitch  pine,  especially  that  which  is  exported.  Longleaf  pine  gets 


Wood-using  Industries  of  North  Carolina 


31 


its  name  from  the  fact  that  it  has  the  longest  needles  of  any  of  the  pines. 
Its  strength,  stiffness,  and  durability  give  it  an  important  place  among 
those  woods  used  for  structural  purposes,  and  large  quantities  are 
demanded  for  this  use  annually.  It  is  also  extensively  employed  for 
flooring,  while  during  the  war  with  Germany  it  contributed  the  major 
portion  of  the  tremendous  amount  of  high-grade  heavy  timbers  and 
planking  needed  for  wooden  vessels  of  the  Emergency  Eleet  Corporation. 
Longleaf  pine  formerly  extended  in  an  almost  unbroken  forest  from 
Texas  to  Virginia.  At  present  in  ISTorth  Carolina  it  is  found  chiefly  in 
widely  scattered  second  growth  stands  of  small  area. 


Table  4. — Consumption  of  North  Carolina  Pine  in  1919 


Industry 

Quantity 

Average 
Cost 
per  M. 
Feet, 
F.  O.  B. 
Factory 

Total 

Cost 

Source  of  Supply 

Feet,  B.M. 

Per 

Cent 

Grown 

in 

State 

Grown 
Outside 
of  State 

Planing  mill  products 

125,734,000 

50.65 

$ 31.12 

$ 3,912,511 

112,842,000 

12,892,000 

Boxes  and  crates 

71,980,000 

29 .00 

26.49 

1,906,928 

71,010,000 

970,000 

Sash,  doors,  and  blinds.- 

12,580,000 

5.07 

32.09 

105,300 

11,080,000 

1,500,000 

9,184,587 

3.70 

22.79 

262,199 

9,184,587 

Furniture... 

8,773,000 

3.54 

26.55 

232,945 

8,433,000 

340,000 

Caskets  and  coffins 

6,418,569 

2.59 

29.70 

190,631 

6,337,569 

81,000 

Vehicles  and  vehicle  parts 

6,393,000 

2.58 

29 .53 

188,797 

5,793,000 

600,000 

Elevators  and  machine  con- 

struction. __ 

4,200,000 

1.69 

24.28 

101,962 

3,765,000 

435,000 

800,000 

.32 

20 .00 

16,000 

800,000 

627, 000 

.25 

65.14 

23,472 

627,000 

Fixtures 

405,000 

.16 

32.12 

13,010 

355,000 

50,000 

225,000 

.09 

17.00 

3,825 

225,000 

901,000 

.36 

15.00 

13,515 

901,000 

Totals... 

248,221,156 

100.00 

S 29 .97 

$ 6,971,095 

231,353,156 

16,868,000 

In  1919  the  wood-using  industries  of  North  Carolina  consumed 
21,313,077  feet,  hoard  measure,  of  longleaf  pine,  the  hulk  of  the  con- 
sumption being  for  boxes  and  crates  and  planing  mill  products.  The 
distribution  of  longleaf  pine  among  the  different  industries  that  used  it 
is  shown  in  Table  5. 

White  Pine  ( Pinus  strobus). — White  pine  is  a tree  of  first  commercial 
importance  which  occurs  from  New  Eoundland  west  to  the  Winnipeg 
River  and  south  through  the  northern  states  to  Pennsylvania,  Michigan, 
Illinois,  Iowa,  and  along  the  Appalachian  Mountains  to  Georgia.  It 
reaches  its  best  development  in  the  region  of  the  Great  Lakes.  The  story 
of  white  pine  is  a vivid  example  of  forest  depletion  in  this  country. 
Two  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago  the  area  mentioned  above  supported 
virgin  stands  of  this  valuable  species.  The  forests  were  so  vast  and  the 


32 


Wood-tjsing  Industries  oe  Worth  Carolina 


stands  so  thick  that  the  supply  was  considered  inexhaustible.  Lumber- 
ing operations  began  in  Yew  England.  When  one  pine  region  became 
exhausted  there  was  another  one  farther  hack  and  mills  moved  on  to 
new  forests.  This  occurred  when  the  pine  on  the  Yew  England  coast 
was  cut.  Yext  came  the  stands  in  Yew  York,  and  after  that  those  of 
Pennsylvania,  followed  by  West  Virginia.  Later,  when  the  supply  here 
began  to  wane,  the  region  of  the  Great  Lakes  was  invaded  and  the 
splendid  forests  of  Michigan,  Wisconsin,  and  Minnesota  were  called 
upon  to  supply  the  increasing  demand  for  white  pine.  Michigan  was 
in  closer  proximity  to  markets,  and  her  forests  were  first  among  those  of 
the  Lake  States  to  show  signs  of  depletion.  Depletion  in  Michigan  was 
followed  by  depletion  in  Wisconsin,  and  the  lumbermen  then  transferred 
their  operations  to  Minnesota.  The  history  of  white  pine  in  Minnesota 
is  the  history  of  white  pine  in  other  regions.  Ahead  of  the  state  lies 


Table  5. — Consumption  of  Longleaf  Pine  in  1919 


Industry 

Quantity 

Average 
Cost 
per  M? 
Feet, 
F.  O.  B. 
Factory 

Total 

Cost 

Source  of  Supply 

Feet,  B.M. 

Per 

Cent 

Grown 

in 

State 

Grown 
Outside 
of  State 

10,653,077 

49.98 

$ 35 .38 

$376,905.86 

10,653,077 

Planing  mill  products 

7,750,000 

36.36 

43.31 

335,652.50 

5,695,000 

2,055,000 

Sash,  doors,  and  blinds 

2,700,000 

12.67 

39,00 

105,300.00 

2,540,000 

160,000 

Elevators  and  machine  eon- 

struction 

160,000 

.75 

42.50 

6,800.00 

10,000 

150,000 

50,000 

.24 

70.00 

3,500.00 

50,000 

Totals. 

21,313,077 

100.00 

$ 38.86 

3828,158 .36 

18,898,077 

2,415,000 

the  same  goal  that  they  have  already  reached.  The  Lake  States,  which 
once  measured  their  cut  of  white  pine  lumber  in  billions  of  feet,  are  now 
producing  comparatively  small  quantities.  Michigan  is  cutting  less  than 
Massachusetts  and  Wisconsin  not  as  much  as  Yew  Hampshire.  The 
difference  between  white  pine  production  in  the  Lake  States  and  the 
production  of  this  species  in  Massachusetts  is  worthy  of  note.  The 
Lake  States  are  merely  harvesting  the  crop  which  nature  planted  cen- 
turies ago,  while  in  Massachusetts,  although  the  timber  that  remains  is 
all  second  growth,  fires  are  kept  out  and  it  is  otherwise  protected.  As 
a result  the  cut  of  white  pine  in  this  State  exceeds  that  of  Michigan, 
once  the  leader  in  the  world’s  output.  White  pine’s  capacity  for  repro- 
duction and  its  rapid  growth  make  it  an  important  tree  from  the  stand- 
point of  forest  management.  In  fact,  the  tree  will  readily  perpetuate 
itself  if  given  a chance.  Wind  scatters  the  seeds  by  thousands,  and  they 
quickly  spring  up.  Since,  however,  the  bark  of  the  pine  seedlings  is 


Wood-using  Industries  of  ISTorth  Carolina 


33 


thin  and  tender,  the  young  trees  are  easily  killed  by  fire.  If,  therefore, 
fires  can  he  kept  out  of  white  pine  cuttings  and  a few  seed  trees  are 
allowed  to  remain,  the  rest  can  be  left  almost  entirely  to  nature. 

In  ISTorth  Carolina  white  pine  is  found  only  in  the  Mountain  Region, 
hut  the  cut  here  is  small  compared  to  that  of  other  regions  of  its  growth. 
In  1919  the  total  quantity  of  wood  of  this  species  reported  as  having 
been  consumed  by  the  wood-using  industries  of  the  State  was  approxi- 
mately 6%  million  feet,  board  measure.  More  than  two-thirds  of  this 
quantity,  or  4,942,000  hoard  feet,  was  demanded  for  boxes  and  crates. 
ISTearly  99  per  cent  of  the  white  pine  consumed  in  the  State  was  cut 
from  home-grown  timber.  The  industries  which  used  white  pine  in 
ISTorth  Carolina  in  1919  and  the  quantity  that  each  consumed  is  shown 
in  Table  6. 

Table  6. — Consumption  of  White  Pine  in  1919 


Industry 

Quantity 

Average 
Cost 
per  M. 
Feet, 
F.  O.  B. 
Factory 

Total 

Cost 

Source  of  Supply 

Feet,  B.M. 

Per 

Cent 

Grown 

in 

State 

Grown 
Outside 
of  State 

4,942,000 

610,000 

326,557 

270.000 

150.000 

' 98,000 

75.000 

50.000 

75.78 

9.35 

5.01 

4.14 
2.30 

1.50 

1.15 
.77 

$ 37.67 

57 .50 

35.60 
49.17 

40.00 

58.60 

25.00 

40.00 

$186,165.14 
35,075 .00 
11,625.43 
13,275.90 
6,000.00 

5,742.80 

1,875.00 

2,000.00 

4,942,000 

584,800 

326,557 

220,000 

150,000 

95.000 

75.000 

50.000 

Planing  mill  products 

25,200 

50,000 

Elevators  and  machine  con- 

3,000 

Total 

6,521,557 

100.00 

% 40.14 

$261,759.27 

6,443,357 

78,200 

Hemlock  ( Tsuga  canadensis ). — The  range  of  hemlock  extends  east  to 
ISTova  Scotia,  west  to  Minnesota,  and  south  along  the  mountain  ranges 
to  Georgia.  In  ISTorth  Carolina  hemlock  occurs  in  the  mountains,  and 
is  found  in  cool  ravines,  usually  along  streams  on  loamy  or  rich  soil. 
It  is  frequently  associated  with  birch,  cherry,  and  other  hardwoods. 
The  tree  is  of  considerable  value  to  the  tanning  industry,  its  hark  being 
the  principal  source  of  supply  of  raw  material  for  extract  plants.  In 
ISTorth  Carolina  it  is  one  of  the  chief  woods  used  for  paper  pulp.  The 
wood  of  hemlock  is  light  in  weight,  coarse  grained,  brittle,  and  has  a 
tendency  to  splinter.  These  properties  have  greatly  influenced  its  use, 
so  that  during  the  years  when  white  pine  was  plentiful  comparatively 
little  hemlock  was  cut.  With  the  waning  supply  of  pine,  however,  the 
demand  for  hemlock  increased,  and  at  present  it  is  called  on  to  meet  a 
liberal  share  of  the  country’s  lumber  requirements.  It  is  an  especially 
important  species  in  the  region  of  the  Lake  States. 

3 


34 


Wood-using  Industries  of  North  Carolina 


In  1919  in  North  Carolina  the  box  and  crate  industry  was  the  only 
one  that  employed  hemlock  as  raw  material  in  the  manufacture  of  its 
products.  The  quantity  used  was  1,028,000  feet,  board  measure,  and  all 
of  it  was  produced  in  the  State. 

Cypress  (T axodium  distichum). — Cypress  is  a southern  species  that 
occurs  in  swamps  and  overflowed  lands  from  Virginia  to  Texas  and  up 
the  Mississippi  River  as  far  as  Missouri.  It  is  a needle-leaf  tree  which 
sheds  its  leaves  in  winter.  The  principal  supply  comes  from  Louisiana 
and  other  Gulf  States.  In  North  Carolina  it  is  found  in  the  Coastal 
Plain  Region,  where  it  constitutes  one  of  the  most  common  trees  along 
streams  and  swamps.  The  wood  is  light,  soft,  and  straight-grained,  and 
the  heartwood  of  the  tree  is  extremely  durable  when  placed  in  contact 
with  the  ground  or  when  used  in  damp  situations.  Its  durability  makes 
it  an  ideal  wood  for  caskets  and  coffins,  planing  mill  products,  and  sash, 
doors,  and  blinds,  the  three  industries  which  together  reported  the  con- 
sumption of  the  350,000  feet,  hoard  measure,  shown  in  Table  Y. 


Table  7. — Consumption  of  Cypress  in  1919 


Industry 

Quantity 

Average 
Cost 
per  M. 
Feet, 
F.  O.  B. 
Factory 

Total 

Cost 

Source  of  Supply 

Feet,  B.M. 

Per 

Cent 

Grown 

in 

State 

Grown 
Outside 
of  State 

Caskets  and  coffins 

Sash,  doors,  and  blinds  . . .. 

Planing  mill  products 

Totals 

200,000 

100,000 

50,000 

57.14 

28.57 

14.29 

S 40.00 

30.00 

60.00 

$ 8,000.00 
3,000.00 
3,000.00 

200,000 

100,000 

50,000 

350,000 

100.00 

$ 40 .00 

S 14,000.00 

350,000 

Cedar. — The  two  species  of  cedar  grow  in  North  Carolina.  They  are 
the  common  red  cedar,  often  called  pencil  cedar  (Juniperus  virginiana) , 
and  southern  white  cedar  ( Chamaecy paris  thyoides ) known  locally  as 
juniper.  The  former  is  one  of  the  most  widely  distributed  trees  in  North 
America,  and  is  found  in  all  parts  of  the  United  States  except  Cali- 
fornia, Oregon,  and  the  western  part  of  Texas.  The  latter  grows  along 
the  Atlantic  Coast  as  far  north  as  New  England,  but  is  of  little  com- 
mercial importance  above  Maryland  and  the  lower  part  of  Delaware. 
Red  cedar  meets  most  of  the  demands  for  pencil  stock  and  large  quanti- 
ties of  it  in  the  form  of  slats  are  shipped  abroad.  It  is  also  a favorite 
wood  for  clothes  chests.  Southern  white  cedar  is  largely  used  in  house 
construction,  is  especially  desirable  for  shingles,  and  with  northern  white 
cedar  is  the  principal  wood  used  for  telephone  and  telegraph  poles.  All 
native  cedars  are  especially  durable  in  contact  with  the  ground  or  when 


Wood-using  Industries  of  Uoeth  Carolina 


35 


used  in  damp  situations.  This  property  makes  the  wood  valuable  for 
fence  post  material,  and  large  quantities  are  employed  for  this  purpose. 

In  ISForth  Carolina  red  cedar  is  confined  to  the  Piedmont  Region  and 
southern  white  cedar  to  the  Coastal  Plain  Region.  The  wood  users  in 
the  State  reported  the  use  of  36,000  feet,  board  measure,  but  since  the 
species  used  was  not  stated,  it  has  been  classed  in  this  report  merely  as 
cedar.  The  entire  quantity  was  consumed  by  the  planing  mills. 

Sugar  Pine  ( Pinus  lambertiana) . — Sugar  pine  is  a tree  of  the  Pacific 
Coast  and  occurs  in  heavy  stands  in  California  and  southern  Oregon. 
The  tree  reaches  larger  size  than  any  of  the  pines.  In  mechanical  prop- 
erties it  compares  very  favorably  with  eastern  white  pine  ( Pirms 
strobus),  and  is  employed  for  many  of  the  purposes  for  which  white 
pine  is  used.  Large  quantities  of  sugar  pine  are  shipped  annually  from 
the  region  of  its  growth  to  eastern  markets.  The  quantity  used  in  ISTorth 
Carolina  in  1919  was  exceedingly  small,  amounting  to  only  5,000  feet, 
board  measure,  and  was  employed  entirely  for  elevators  and  machine 
construction. 

THE  HARDWOODS 

A summary  of  the  wood-using  industries  of  the  entire  United  States 
shows  that  for  the  manufacture  of  commodities  requiring  wood  as  raw 
material  a larger  quantity  of  softwood  is  required  than  hardwood.  On 
the  other  hand  hardwoods  are  employed  for  a greater  number  of  uses 
and  from  the  standpoint  of  distribution  among  the  various  industries 
are  more  important.  Twenty-one  hardwoods  entered  into  the  manu- 
facture of  the  products  of  the  wood-using  factories  of  the  State  in  1919, 
and  the  entire  supply  of  seven  of  them  was  obtained  from  sources  within 
the  State.  The  total  quantity  used  was  slightly  over  21  million  feet. 

Oak. — All  of  the  fifty  or  more  oaks  that  grow  in  the  United  States 
are  divided  by  botanists  into  two  groups.  Those  on  which  the  acorns 
reach  maturity  in  a single  year  are  called  white  oaks,  while  those  on 
which  the  fruit  does  not  ripen  for  two  years  are  known  as  black  oaks,  or 
more  commonly  as  red  oaks.  The  well  known  white  oak  ( Quercus  alba ) 
is  representative  of  the  white  oak  group,  while  red  oak  ( Quercus  borealis 
maxima ) occupies  a similar  position  in  the  red  oak  group.  Red  oak  or 
white  oak  lumber  may  be  cut  from  any  one  of  25  different  kinds  of  oak, 
but  in  the  trade  it  is  merely  red  or  white  oak,  the  lumbermen  rarely 
having  occasion  to  use  a further  differentiation.  White  oak  is  usually 
strong,  hard,  heavy,  durable,  dense,  and  more  or  less  difficult  to  season. 
Red  oak  is  less  strong  and  durable  and  not  so  dense  or  hard.  Since  it  is 
more  porous,  red  oak  is  more  easily  kiln-dried  than  white  oak.  When 
white  oak  is  used  in  situations  where  it  is  in  contact  with  the  ground  or 
exposed  to  the  action  of  the  elements  it  is  not  usually  customary  to  give 


36 


Wood-using  Industries  of  North  Carolina 


it  a preservative  treatment.  Eed  oak,  however,  is  less  durable,  and  when 
so  used  should  always  be  subjected  to  treatment. 

Eighteen  different  species  of  oak  grow  in  North  Carolina.  Twelve  of 
them  are  red  oaks  and  six  belong  to  the  white  oak  group.  Erom  the 
standpoint  of  quantity  used,  oak  is  the  most  important  hardwood  that 
enters  into  furniture  manufacture,  not  only  in  this  State,  but  in  practi- 
cally all  others  in  which  studies  of  this  kind  have  been  made.  Further- 
more, it  usually  has  the  widest  distribution  among  the  different  indus- 
tries. The  quantity  demanded  by  the  wood  users  of  North  Carolina  in 
1919  aggregates  nearly  85%  million  feet.  Seventy-four  per  cent  of  this 
was  used  in  the  furniture  and  chair  industries.  The  quantity  of  wood 
used  by  the  eleven  other  industries  that  reported  a consumption  of  oak  is 
shown  in  Table  8. 


Table  8. — Consumption  of  OaTc  in  1919 


Industry 

Quantity 

Average 
Cost 
per  M. 
F.  O.  B. 
Factory 

Total 

Cost 

Source  of  Supply 

Feet,  B.  M. 

Per 

Cent 

Grown 

in 

State 

Grown 
Outside 
of  State 

Furniture _ _ _ 

40,465,000 

47.41 

$ 57.33 

$2,319,858 .45 

35,309,000 

5, 156,000 

Chairs 

23,930,000 

28 .04 

60.48 

1,447,286.40 

18,576,500 

5,353,500 

Planing  mill  products 

7,545,000 

8.84 

41.87 

315,909.15 

6,853,000 

692,000 

Vehicles  and  vehicle  parts.. 

5,719,500 

6.70 

45 .74 

261,609.93 

5,319,500 

400,000 

Boxes  and  crates 

3,347,000 

3.92 

47.92 

160,388.24 

2,847,000 

500,000 

Fixtures 

985,000 

1.15 

65 .00 

64,025.00 

899,000 

86,000 

Fruit  and  vegetable  packages 

813,807 

.95 

39.50 

32,145.38 

813,807 

Handles 

540,000 

.63 

33.50 

18,090.00 

540,000 

Sash,  doors,  and  blinds___ 

365,000 

.43 

37.83 

13,807.95 

365,000 

290.000 

.34 

74.17 

21,509.30 

290,000 

Elevators  and  machine  con- 

struction 

260,000 

.31 

52.30 

13,598.00 

260,000 

Agricultural  implements... 

131,500 

.15 

47.50 

6,246.25 

131,500 

961,200 

1.13 

50.00 

48,060.00 

961,200 

Totals ._  . ...  . 

85,353,007 

S 55 .33 

S4, 722, 534 .05 

73,165,507 

12,187,500 

Bed  Gum  ( Liquidambar  styraciflua ) . — This  species  occurs  from  Con- 
necticut to  Missouri,  south  to  central  Florida,  and  westward  to  Texas. 
It  reaches  its  best  development  in  the  bottom  lands  of  the  Mississippi 
Yalley.  It  is  one  of  the  commonest  trees  throughout  the  hardwood 
bottom  forests  and  reaches  large  size.  It  is  found  also  to  a considerable 
extent  on  the  uplands  and  low  ridges,  but  is  there  scattered  and  of 
smaller  size.  In  North  Carolina  it  frequents  moist  situations  from  the 
coast  to  the  mountains.  It  is  in  the  Coastal  Plain,  however,  that  it 
attains  its  largest  dimensions  and  is  found  in  mixture  with  black  gum 
and  cypress  in  deep  swamps. 


Wood-using  Industries  of  Worth  Carolina 


37 


Red  gum  lias  a tendency  to  warp  and  twist,  and  is  therefore  a refrac- 
tory wood  from  the  standpoint  of  both  air  seasoning  and  kiln  drying. 
This  fact  has  always  been  an  obstacle  to  its  commercial  exploitation, 
especially  in  past  years,  when  the  supply  of  other  hardwoods  was  so 
large  that  there  was  no  incentive  on  the  part  of  wood  users  to  work  such 
a supposedly  unsatisfactory  wood  as  red  gum.  With  improved  methods 
of  handling  and  the  perfection  of  kiln-drying  practice,  red  gum  came 
into  its  own,  and  today  is  an  important  species  in  many  wood-using 
industries.  Among  the  primary  industries  it  is  extensively  employed 
for  slack  cooperage  and  is  much  in  demand  by  veneer  mills.  Of  the 
secondary  industries  the  box  factories,  furniture  plants,  chair  makers, 
and  several  other  classes  of  wood  users  demand  red  gum  in  large  quanti- 
ties for  the  manufacture  of  their  products. 

In  Worth  Carolina  in  1919  a total  of  40,443,000  feet,  board  measure, 
of  red  gum  was  used,  nearly  two-thirds  of  which  was  obtained  from 
outside  the  State.  Over  50  per  cent  of  this  was  converted  into  furniture. 
The  industry  producing  vehicles  and  vehicle  parts  was  the  second  in 
importance  as  far  as  the  quantity  consumed  is  concerned,  while  large 
amounts  were  demanded  also  by  the  box  and  chair  factories.  The  State’s 
consumption  of  red  gum  during  the  year  covered  by  this  report  by  those 
industries  that  used  it  is  shown  in  Table  9. 


Table  9. — Consumption  of  Red  Cum  in  1919 


Industry 

Quantity 

Average 
Cost 
per  M. 
F.  O.  B. 
Factory 

Total 

Cost 

Source  of  Supply 

Feet,  B.  M. 

Per 

Cent 

Grown 

in 

State 

Grown 
Outside 
of  State 

Furniture 

23,475,000 

58 .04 

$ 79 .47 

SI, 865, 558 .25 

2,582,500 

20,892,500 

Vehicles  and  vehicle  parts 

9,240,000 

22 .85 

51.75 

478,170.00 

7,280,000 

1,960,000 

Chairs... _ 

4,047,000 

10 .01 

95.67 

387,176.49 

400,000 

3,647,000 

Boxes  and  crates... 

3,000,000 

7.42 

60.00 

180,000.00 

500,000 

2,500,000 

Planing  mill  products 

253,000 

.62 

113 .33 

28,672.49 

20,000 

233,000 

178,000 

.44 

143 .33 

25,512.74 

178,000 

Caskets  and  coffins 

150,000 

.37 

110.00 

16,500.00 

150,000 

Miscellaneous.. 

100,000 

.25 

70.00 

7,000.00 

100,000 

Totals 

40,443,000 

100.00 

S 73 .90 

$2,988,589 .97 

10,782,500 

29,660,500 

Yellow  Poplar  ( Liriodendron  tulip  if  era) . — Yellow  poplar,  although 
widely  distributed,  is  seldom  the  predominant  tree  in  the  forest,  but  is 
found  dispersed  through  forests  of  other  hardwoods,  seldom  more  than 
three  or  four  trees  in  a group.  Its  range  extends  from  Vermont  west 
to  the  Lake  States  and  south  through  Missouri,  Arkansas,  Mississippi, 
and  Alabama  to  Florida.  It  probably  reaches  its  best  development 


38 


Wood-using  Industries  of  North  Carolina 


along  the  tributaries  of  the  Ohio  Paver  and  on  the  lower  slopes  of  the 
high  mountains  of  N orth  Carolina  and  Tennessee.  It  grows  habitually 
in  deep,  rich,  moist  soil.  Yellow  poplar  is  found  in  all  parts  of  Yorth 
Carolina,  but  is  most  abundant  and  attains  its  largest  size  on  the  lower 
mountain  slopes  of  the  counties  west  of  the  Blue  Ridge.  The  tree  is 
sometimes  called  tulip  poplar,  because  its  blossoms  resemble  those  of  the 
tulip.  There  is  a great  difference  between  the  heartwood  and  sapwood 
of  yellow  poplar.  The  former  is  yellow  in  color  and  derives  its  name 
from  this  fact,  while  the  latter  is  white  and  is  often  called  whitewood. 
This  differentiation  often  leads  to  the  erroneous  belief  among  users  of 
the  wood  that  they  are  separate  species. 

The  wood  of  yellow  poplar  is  light,  soft,  straight-grained,  very  easy 
to  work,  and  holds  its  shape  extremely  well  after  drying.  In  addition 
it  takes  and  holds  paint  better,  perhaps,  than  other  wood.  These  prop- 
erties commend  it  for  many  uses  and  make  it  a wood  of  first  commercial 
importance.  It  is  highly  prized  and  much  in  demand  by  furniture 
manufacturers  and  is  converted  by  them  into  drawer  bottoms,  backing, 
white  enamel  bureaus,  cabinets  and  chiffoniers,  plywood  core  stock,  and 
many  other  commodities.  Its  ability  to  take  paint  makes  it  well  adapted 
for  panel  work  in  the  vehicle  industry. 

Twelve  industries  in  Yorth  Carolina  reported  in  varying  quantities 
the  consumption  of  yellow  poplar  in  1919.  A total  of  21,560,963  feet, 
hoard  measure,  was  used,  and  the  furniture  manufacturers,  the  box 
factories,  and  the  planing  mills  were  the  principal  consumers.  The 
amounts  demanded  by  the  remaining  'nine  industries  are  shown  in 
Table  10. 

Table  10. — Consumption  of  Yellow  Poplar  in  1919 


Industry 

Quantity 

Average 
Cost 
per  M. 
Feet, 
F.  O.  B. 
Factory 

Total 

Cost 

Source  of  Supply 

Feet,  B.M. 

Per 

Cent 

Grown 

in 

State 

Grown 
Outside 
of  State 

Furniture 

11,642,000 

53 .99 

$ 45 .42 

$528,779.64 

10,163,000 

1,479,000 

Planing  mill  products 

3,057,000 

14.18 

43 .90 

134,202.30 

3,055,000 

2,000 

2,755,000 

12.78 

35.00 

96,425 .00 

2,755,000 

956,856 

4.44 

33.61 

32,159.93 

956,856 

Fruit  and  vegetable  packages - 

848,307 

3.93 

37.00 

31,387.36 

135,807 

712,500 

Vehicles  and  vehicle  parts 

657,000 

3.05 

45 .68 

30,011.76 

639,800 

17,200 

286,500 

1.33 

42.50 

12,176.25 

286,500 

243,000 

1.13 

36.75 

8,930.25 

243,000 

Elevators  and  machine  con- 

184,000 

.85 

55.00 

10,120.00 

184,000 

160,000 

.74 

25.00 

4,000.00 

160,000 

10  000 

30.00 

300 .00 

10,000 

761,300 

3.53 

23 .50 

17,890.55 

761,300 

Totals  

21,560,963 

100 .00 

S 42 .04 

$906,383.04 

19,350,263 

2,210,700 

Wood-using  Industries  of  Uorth  Carolina 


39 


Chestnut  ( Castanea  dentata). — In  1918  Uorth  Carolina  ranked  second 
in  the  cut  of  chestnut  lumber,  the  total  production  for  the  State  being 
nearly  49  million  feet,  board  measure.  The  tree  has  a wide  range, 
extending  from  Maine  to  Michigan  and  south  to  Delaware  and  Tennessee 
and  along  the  southern  Appalachian  Mountains  to  Alabama.  In  jSTorth 
Carolina  its  growth  is  confined  principally  to  the  Mountain  Region. 

The  chestnut  bark  disease  has  made  heavy  inroads  upon  the  stands  in 
various  sections  of  the  country,  especially  in  the  region  north  of  the 
Potomac  River.  The  chestnut  in  Pennsylvania  has  perhaps  suffered 
most.  The  disease  is  becoming  more  serious  each  year,  and  according 
to  pathologists  is  practically  certain  to  extend  throughout  the  range  of 
this  important  species  unless  some  unforeseen  natural  occurrence  takes 
place  to  check  its  ravages.  The  disease  is  a fungus,  the  spores  of  which 
when  carried  by  the  wind  or  other  agency  into  any  wound  on  the  trunk 
or  limb  of  a chestnut  tree  germinate  and  cause  a spreading  canker  which 
girdles  the  part  attacked  and  eventually  kills  the  tree.  The  Bureau  of 
Plant  Industry  of  the  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture  recom- 
mends that  advance  infections  be  destroyed  by  felling  the  trees  and 
burning  the  bark  and  brush  over  the  stump,  so  that  the  surface  of  the 
latter  is  completely  charred.  Another  excellent  method  is  to  paint  the 
surface  of  the  stump  with  creosote  and  then  burn  the  bark  and  brush  in 
piles.  The  disease  does  not  injure  the  wood,  and  sound  wood  cut  from 
dead  timber  is  fully  as  strong  as  wood  from  healthy  trees.  Service  tests 
conducted  by  the  Forest  Service  with  posts,  poles,  and  crossties  cut  from 
healthy,  diseased,  and  dead  chestnut  have  shown  that  from  the  stand- 
point of  service  and  durability  there  is  no  difference  between  infected 
or  blight-killed  chestnut  and  that  which  is  healthy. 

The  sapwood  of  standing  blight-killed  chestnut  starts  to  decay  at  the 
end  of  two  years,  not  because  of  the  disease,  but  from  the  effects  of  insect 
attack.  At  the  end  of  four  years  the  sapwood  is  full  of  insect  burrows 
and  well  rotted.  During  the  fifth  year  after  death  the  bark  usually 
falls  from  the  trunk  and  the  decayed  sapwood  dries  out  and  peels  off, 
leaving  the  heartwood  hard  and  sound.  If  the  tree  continues  to  stand 
the  heartwood  will  become  so  badly  surface-checked  as  to  make  it  un- 
merchantable. It  is  advisable,  therefore,  for  owners  of  chestnut  timber 
to  cut  it  as  soon  as  infection  becomes  apparent.  If  this  is  not  possible, 
it  should  at  least  be  removed  not  later  than  two  years  after  death  before 
insect  injury,  decay,  and  cheeking  have  started. 

Chestnut  is  light  in  weight,  easily  seasoned,  very  durable,  readily 
worked,  extremely  porous,  and  possesses  a very  attractive  grain.  It 
occupies  an  important  place  among  the  commercial  woods  included  in 
the  hardwood  group.  Because  of  its  durability  it  is  the  leading  wood  in 


40 


Wood-using  Industries  of  Horth  Carolina 


the  casket  and  coffin  industry,  and  is  extensively  employed  for  fence  posts 
and  telephone  poles.  It  also  ranks  well  toward  the  top  in  a number  of 
other  wood-using  industries.  Panel  and  plywood  manufacturers  as  well 
as  furniture  factories  value  it  highly  for  core  stock.  The  grade  known 
to  the  trade  as  “sound  wormy,”  which  contains  numerous  small  pin 
worm  holes,  but  is  otherwise  sound,  is  considered  most  suitable  for  this 
purpose,  for  the  reason  that  these  holes  provide  good  anchorage  for  the 
glue.  This  grade  of  chestnut  is  also  largely  used  by  box  factories. 
Chestnut  wood  is  one  of  the  sources  from  which  tannin  is  obtained  and 
large  quantities  are  employed  annually  by  extract  plants  for  this  purpose. 

The  furniture  factories  used  over  50  per  cent  of  the  chestnut  demanded 
by  the  wood-users  of  Horth  Carolina  in  1919.  The  second  largest  users 
were  the  makers  of  caskets  and  coffins,  while  four  other  industries  con- 
sumed varying  quantities.  The  six  industries  of  the  State,  which 
together  reported  a consumption  of  nearly  21  million  feet,  and  the 
quantity  that  each  required  in  the  manufacture  of  its  products  during 
the  year  are  presented  in  Table  11. 


Table  11. — Consumption  of  Chestnut  in  1919 


Industry 

Quantity 

Average 
Cost 
per  M. 
Feet, 
F.  O.  B. 
Factory 

Total 

Cost 

Source  of  Suppljr 

Feet,  B.M. 

Per 

Cent 

Grown 

in 

State 

Grown 
Outside 
of  State 

Furniture- - 

Caskets  and  coffins 

Boxes  and  crates. 

Planing  mill  products 

Sash,  doors,  and  blinds 

11,244,000 

7,852,915 

1,520,000 

300,000 

50.000 

30.000 

53.55 

37.40 

7.24 

1.43 

.24 

.14 

3 40 .53 

43.34 

50.00 

35.00 

50.00 

69 .00 

8455,719.32 

340,345.34 

76,000.00 

10,500.00 

2.500.00 

2.070.00 

10.944,000 

7,852.915 

1,520,000 

300,000 

50.000 

30.000 

300,000 

Totals 

20,996,915 

100 .00 

S 42.25 

$887,134.66 

20,696,915 

300,000 

Black  Gum  ( Nyssa  sylvatica). — Considerable  confusion  has  always 
existed  in  the  classification  of  the  various  species  of  the  genus  Nyssa. 
Three  trees  are  important  in  this  group,  namely,  black  gum  ( Nyssa 
sylvatica),  cotton  gum,  or  tupelo,  as  it  is  frequently  called  ( Nyssa 
aquatica),  and  water  gum  ( Nyssa  biflora).  They  are  all  members  of 
the  dogwood  family,  hut  are  not  related  to  red  gum  ( Liquidambar 
styraciflua) . The  last  two  usually  grow  together  in  wet  lowlands  and 
swamps  in  company  with  cypress  and  southern  white  cedar.  Black  gum 
grows  in  similar  situations,  but  usually  somewhat  removed  from  the 
other  two  species  and  generally  on  well  drained  elevations.  The  wood 
of  the  three  species  of  gum  so  closely  resemble  each  other  that  it  is 


Wood-using  Industries  of  Worth  Carolina 


41 


difficult  to  identify  them  from  their  external  appearance.  The  wood 
of  cotton  gum  splits  straight  and  is  fairly  easy  to  work.  The  fiber 
of  black  gum  and  water  gum  is  closely  interlocked  and  the  wood  is  very 
difficult  to  work  or  split.  The  wood  of  water  gum  has  a yellowish  hue 
and  is  darker  than  that  of  black  gum  while  cotton  gum  is  lighter  in 
color  than  either  of  the  other  two.  Frequently  all  three  of  these  woods 
are  called  merely  black  gum,  lumbermen  making  no  effort  to  separate 
them. 

Two  of  the  gums  occur  in  Worth  Carolina.  They  are  black  gum  and 
cotton  gum,  although  that  used  was  all  reported  as  black  gum.  Owing 
to  the  variation  in  nomenclature  applicable  to  these  trees,  however,  it  is 
possible  that  species  other  than  black  gum  were  used.  Black  gum  is 
extensively  utilized  by  box  factories  and  by  the  fruit  and  vegetable  pack- 
age industries.  In  the  latter  industry  it  is  usually  employed  in  the 
form  of  thick  rotary  cut  veneer.  As  shown  in  Table  12,  these  two 
industries  were  the  principal  consumers  of  black  gum  in  Worth  Carolina 
in  1919. 

Table  12. — Consumption  of  Blade  Gum  in  1919 


• 

Industry 

Quantity 

Average 
Cost 
per  M. 
Feet, 
F.  O.  B. 
Factory 

Total 

Cost 

Source  of  Supply 

Feet,  B.M. 

Per 

Cent 

Grown 

in 

State 

Grown 
Outside 
of  State 

11,505,000 

58 .93 

$ 22.79 

3262,198.95 

11.505,000 

7,060,000 

36.16 

28.63 

202,127.80 

7,060,000 

Furniture—. 

300,000 

1.54 

23 .00 

6,900 .00 

300,000 

300,000 

1 .54 

25.00 

7,500.00 

300,000 

Planing  mill  products 

188,000 

.96 

32.63 

6,134.44 

180,000 

8,000 

Handles 

150,000 

.77 

32.00 

4,800.00 

150,000 

20,000 

.10 

35.00 

700 .00 

20,000 

Agricultural  implements 

1,000 

.00 

35.00 

35.00 

1,000 

Totals 

19,524,000 

100 .00 

S 25.12 

3490,396.19 

19,216.000 

308,000 

Hickory. — Hickory  is  often  referred  to  as  though  it  were  a single 
species,  like  red  gum  or  yellow  poplar.  In  reality  there  are  as  many  as 
ten  different  species,  the  wood  of  some  of  them  being  considered  valuable 
commercially  and  others  not.  From  the  standpoint  of  commercial  use, 
especially  in  the  manufacture  of  handles  and  vehicle  stock,  the  hickories 
may  be  divided  into  two  main  groups,  namely,  pecan  hickories  and  true 
hickories.  In  the  former  group  are  pecan  hickory,  water  hickory, 
nutmeg  hickory,  and  bitternut  hickory.  The  true  hickories  comprise 
principally  shagbark  hickory,  big  shellbark  hickory,  pignut  hickory,  and 
mockernut  hickory.  At  one  time  hickory  was  available  in  ample  quanti- 
ties for  commercial  use  in  most  of  the  states  east  and  in  several  imme- 


42 


Wood-using  Industries  of  jSTorth  Carolina 


diately  west  of  the  Mississippi  Eiver.  The  Ohio  and  lower  Mississippi 
valleys  were  the  regions  of  its  best  development,  and  here  it  was  found 
in  the  greatest  abundance.  Tlie  original  supply  lias  been  cut  to  such 
an  extent  that  at  the  present  time  there  is  an  acute  shortage.  In  the 
states  east  of  the  Alleghanies  and  north  of  the  Potomac  Eiver  this 
shortage  is  especially  marked.  A few  scattered  stands  are  yet  to  he 
found  west  of  the  Alleghanies  and  north  of  the  Ohio  Eiver.  Most  of 
what  remains  is  in  the  lower  Mississippi  Valley,  Arkansas  and  Tennessee 
being  the  center  of  production.  It  is  probable  that  by  now  the  whole 
hickory-producing  territory  has  been  covered  by  the  timber  buyers,  and 
that  some  of  the  larger  companies  are  working  over  their  old  cuttings, 
taking  material  which  was  rejected  ten  or  fifteen  years  ago. 

Eight  species  of  hickory  are  found  in  Vortk  Carolina.  Two  of  them, 
bitternut  and  water  hickory,  are  really  pecans,  while  the  other  six  are 
true  hickories.  Bitternut  hickory  and  whiteheart  or  mockernut  hickory 
occur  throughout  the  State,  but  reach  their  best  development  in  the 
Mountain  and  Piedmont  regions.  Scalybark  or  shagbark  hickory  is  also 
found  in  all  parts  of  the  State,  but  is  nowhere  common,  and  least  so  in 
the  Coastal  Plain  Eegion.  The  southern  shellbark,  small  fruited  hickory 
and  pale  hickory  are  most  important  in  the  Piedmont  Eegion,  while 
water  hickory  is  confined  principally  to  the  Coastal  Plain  Eegion. 

The  handle  plants  and  vehicle  factories  are  the  largest  consumers  of 
hickory,  and  use  over  two-thirds  of  the  total  annual  consumption  in  the 
manufacture  of  their  products.  The  different  hickories  can  be  easily 
distinguished  in  the  tree  by  their  botanical  characteristics,  but  in  the 
form  of  lumber  or  other  timber  products  identification  is  difficult.  In 
fact,  lumbermen  make  little  effort  to  separate  them  and  the  wood-using 
factories  usually  report  the  wood  merely  as  hickory.  This  accounts  for 
the  use  in  this  report  of  only  the  generic  name  hickory.  Among  the 
trade,  however,  especially  the  handle  and  vehicle  manufacturers,  the 
term  “second  growth”  is  commonly  used,  and  is  intended  to  mean  wide- 
ringed  material  of  fast  growth.  Hickory  possesses  in  combination 
strength,  toughness,  and  elasticity  not  found  in  any  other  commercial 
wood.  These  properties  are  essential  where  the  wood  is  used  for  such 
commodities  as  spokes  and  other  vehicle  stock,  axe,  adze,  pick  and 
hammer  handles,  picker  sticks,  and  sucker  rods. 

In  Horth  Carolina  in  1919  the  combined  consumption  of  hickory  by 
the  six  industries  that  used  it  was  9,124,500  feet,  board  measure.  The 
largest  consumers  were  the  vehicle  factories.  The  quantity  used  by  the 
shuttle,  spool,  and  bobbin  industry,  as  shown  in  Table  13,  was  employed 
in  the  manufacture  of  picker  sticks  and  other  loom  supplies. 


Wood-using  Industries  of  Horth  Carolina 


43 


Table  13. — Consumption  of  Hickory  in  1919 


Industry 

Quantity 

Average 
Cost 
per  M. 
Feet, 
F.  O.  B. 
Factory 

Total 

Cost 

Source  of  Supply 

Feet,  B.M. 

Per 

Cent 

Grown 

in 

State 

Grown 
Outside 
of  State 

Vehicles  and  vehicle  parts 

5,553,000 

60.86 

$ 42 .46 

$235,780.38 

4,443,000 

1,120,000 

1,925,000 

21.10 

55.71 

107,241.75 

1,925,000 

1,351,000 

14.81 

40.71 

54,999 .21 

1,351,000 

Planing  mill  products 

280,000 

3.07 

32.66 

9,144.80 

275,000 

5,000 

10,500 

.11 

50.00 

525 .00 

10,500 

5,000 

.05 

30.00 

150.00 

5,000 

Totals 

9,124,500 

100.00 

S 44 .70 

$407,841.14 

7,999,500 

1,125,000 

Maple. — Two  species  of  maple  are  cut  for  lumber  iu  Horth  Carolina, 
namely,  sugar  maple,  often  called  bard  maple  ( Acer  saccharum) , and 
red  maple  (Acer  rubrurn ).  The  quantity  of  maple  lumber  produced  in 
tbe  State,  however,  is  small,  being  less  than  one  per  cent  of  the  total 
production  for  tbe  whole  country.  Of  tbe  two  kinds  of  maple  men- 
tioned, sugar  maple  is  tbe  most  important  commercially.  It  is  used  for 
almost  as  many  purposes  as  oak,  and  tbe  figured  wood  which  it  some- 
times produces,  known  as  birds-eye  and  curly  maple,  is  much  in  demand. 
Tbe  tree  is  highly  prized  for  tbe  sap  which  it  yields,  from  which  are 
made  maple  syrup  and  sugar.  When  standing  in  the  woods  it  is  fre- 
quently called  sugar  tree,  but  the  lumber  cut  from  it  usually  goes  by  the 
name  of  hard  maple.  Hard  maple  makes  an  excellent  floor  material 
and  over  one-third  of  the  total  quantity  produced  in  this  country  is 
converted  to  this  use.  It  is  a favorite  wood  for  chairs  and  large 
quantities  are  cut  into  squares  and  dimension  stock  for  this  purpose. 
Furniture  manufacturers  employ  it  extensively  for  drawer  and  extension 
table  slides,  while  shoe  last  and  bowling  pin  manufacturers  depend  upon 
it  altogether  for  raw  material  in  the  manufacture  of  their  products. 

The  wood-consuming  factories  of  ISTorth  Carolina  used  during  the  year 
a total  of  8,325,000  feet,  board  measure,  of  maple.  Eighty-seven  per 
cent  of  this  amount  went  into  final  manufacture  in  the  planing  mills 
and  the  chair  and  furniture  factories.  The  industries  that  used  the 
balance  and  the  quantities  that  each  consumed  are  shown  in  Table  14. 

Birch. — With  the  exception  of  the  paper  birch  of  Hew  England,  the 
well  known  spool  wood,  lumbermen  rarely  separate  the  various  kinds  of 
birch  according  to  species.  The  only  classification  used  commercially  is 
the  differentiation  of  the  wood  according  to  the  section  of  the  tree  from 
which  it  is  cut.  For  example,  the  heartwood,  which  is  red,  is  called  red 
birch,  while  the  sapwood,  which  is  white,  is  called  white  birch.  Lumber 


44 


Wood-using  Industries  of  North  Carolina 


containing  both  heartwood  and  sapwood,  either  separate  or  together  in 
the  same  piece,  is  known  as  unselected  birch.  In  other  words,  the  deter- 
mining factor  in  this  classification  is  whether  the  wood  is  heartwood, 
sapwood,  or  both  heartwood  and  sapwood.  Forty-eight  different  wood- 
using industries  in  this  country  use  birch  in  varying  quantities  in  the 
manufacture  of  their  products.  Birch,  beech,  and  maple  constitute  the 
three  woods  most  used  by  the  hardwood  distillation  industry.  Since  the 
physical  and  mechanical  properties  of  these  woods  are  so  much  alike, 
most  of  the  uses  for  one  are  common  to  the  other  two.  Among  the 
secondary  wood-using  industries,  the  planing  mills  are  the  largest  con- 
sumers of  birch,  the  wood  that  they  consume  going  principally  into  the 
manufacture  of  flooring  and  interior  trim.  Birch  is  an  important  wood 
in  the  veneer  industry  and  large  quantities  are  demanded  by  the  box, 
furniture,  and  chair  manufacturers. 


Table  14. — Consumption  of  Maple  in  1919 


Quantity 

Average 

Cost 

Source  of  Supply 

Industry 

Feet,  B.M. 

Per 

Vent 

per  M. 
Feet, 
F.  O.  B. 
Factory 

Total 

Cost 

Grown 

in 

State 

Grown 
Outside 
of  State 

Planing  mill  products 

4,052,500 

48.68 

S 56 .67 

$229,655.18 

3,212,500 

840,000 

Chairs __  

2,290,000 

27.51 

45 .34 

103,828.60 

790,000 

1,500,000 

Furniture __  _ .. 

1,030,000 

12.37 

79.69 

82,080.70 

637,500 

392,500 

Boxes  and  crates . 

500,000 

6.01 

30.00 

15,000.00 

250,000 

250,000 

Shuttles,  spools,  and  bobbins...  . 
Elevators  and  machine  con- 

400,000 

4.80 

45 .00 

18,000.00 

250,000 

150,000 

42,500 

10,000 

.51 

110.00 

4,675.00 
450 .00 

42,500 

10,000 

Vehicles  and  vehicle  parts 

.12 

45 .00 

Totals 

8,325,000 

100.00 

S 54 .50 

$453,689 .48 

5,192,500 

3,132,500 

Black  or  sweet  birch  ( Betula  lenta),  red  or  river  birch  ( Betula  nigra), 
and  yellow  birch  ( Betula  lutea)  are  the  species  of  birch  that  grow  in 
North  Carolina.  Sweet  birch  and  yellow  birch  are  confined  entirely  to 
the  Mountain  Region,  while  red  birch  is  found  along  streams  and  on  the 
borders  of  swamps  throughout  the  State.  The  industries  of  the  State 
that  reported  the  use  of  birch  in  1919  were  six  in  number  and  are  shown 
together  with  the  quantity  used  by  each  in  Table  15. 

Black  Walnut  ( Juglans  nigra). — Black  walnut  is  one  of  the  valuable 
timber  trees  of  this  country,  and  is  distributed  over  practically  the 
entire  eastern  half  of  the  United  States.  It  reaches  its  best  development 
in  the  rich  bottomlands  of  southwestern  Arkansas  and  Oklahoma  and  on 
the  western  slopes  of  the  Alleghany  Mountains.  This  wood  was  of 
immense  importance  from  a national  defense  standpoint  during  the  world 


Wood-using  Industries  of  Worth  Carolina 


45 


war.  Millions  of  gunstock  blanks  were  made  of  it  and  large  quantities 
were  used  for  aeroplane  propellers.  The  whole  country  was  literally  gone 
over  with  a fine-tooth  comb  to  obtain  raw  material  for  these  wartime 
uses.  The  tree  is  not  found  in  dense  stands,  but  occurs  in  small  groups 
of  a few  trees  each,  which  probably  accounts  for  its  wide  distribution. 
The  wood  of  black  walnut  is  straight-grained,  very  easily  worked,  highly 
shock-resistant,  glues  readily,  and  possesses  the  ability  to  hold  its  shape 
extremely  well  when  seasoned.  Walnut  was  used  during  Revolutionary 
times  for  gunstocks,  and  its  stability,  shock  resistance,  and  workability 
are  the  properties  that  made  it  highly  satisfactory  for  that  use  and  for 
propeller  manufacture  during  the  war  with  Germany.  Walnut  is  also 
important  as  a furniture  wood  and  is  highly  prized  for  veneer.  The 
most  attractively  figured  wood  is  obtained  by  the  sliced  veneer  process 
from  stumps,  especially  those  showing  burls.  These  burls  are  usually 
on  the  root  of  the  tree  and  mostly  beneath  the  surface  of  the  ground. 
Burls  occurring  higher  up  on  the  trunk  or  limbs  are  not  especially 
desirable,  since  they  are  more  apt  to  contain  cavities.  Good  burls  should 
have  sound,  solid  wood,  and  the  best  are  usually  turnip-shaped. 


Table  15. — Consumption  of  Birch  in  1919 


Industry 

Quantity 

Average 
Cost 
per  M. 
Feet, 
F.  O.B. 
Factory 

Total 

Cost 

Source  of  Supply 

Feet,  B.M. 

Per 

Cent 

Grown 

in 

State 

Grorvn 
Outside 
of  State 

650,000 

42.61 

$ 25,129.00 

650,000 

Furniture 

405,000 

26.55 

57 .50 

23,287.50 

285,000 

120,000 

16.72 

132.50 

33,787.50 

100,000 

6.55 

30.00 

3,000.00 

100,000 

Vehicles  and  vehicle  parts 

68,000 

4.46 

51.00 

3,468.00 

38,000 

30,000 

Planing  mill  products 

47,500 

3.11 

68.33 

3,245.68 

47,500 

Totals 

1,525,500 

100 .00 

$ 60 .25 

8 91,917.68 

1,375,500 

150,000 

In  Worth  Carolina  black  walnut  is  found  throughout  the  State,  but 
attains  its  largest  size  and  is  more  plentiful  in  the  Piedmont  Region. 
During  1919  the  furniture  factories  and  the  casket  and  coffin  makers,  as 
shown  in  Table  16,  used  together  838,000  board  feet  of  walnut,  or  all 
that  was  consumed  in  the  State. 

Dogwood  (Cornus  florida'). — The  range  of  dogwood  extends  from 
southern  Hew  England  west  to  southern  Ontario  and  south  to  Florida 
and  eastern  Texas.  Stands  of  trees  with  low  crowns  growing  in  the 
forest  and  overtopped  by  other  species  with  which  they  are  usually 
associated  are  known  as  an  “understory.”  In  Worth  Carolina  in  the 


46 


Wood-using  Industbies  of  Nobth  Caeolina 


Coastal  Plain  Eegion  dogwood  forms  an  understory  beneath  pine.  In 
the  Piedmont  and  Mountain  regions  it  occupies  a similar  position  under 
oaks,  hickories,  and  yellow  poplar.  The  tree  is  frequently  called  flower- 
ing dogwood  from  the  profusion  of  beautiful  white  flowers  which  it  bears 
in  the  spring.  Dogwood  was  once  considered  a weed  tree,  but  at  the 
present  time  is  in  great  demand.  The  wood  is  hard,  heavy,  dense,  and 
has  the  particular  quality  of  wearing  smooth  with  continued  use.  These 
properties,  especially  the  last  one  mentioned,  enable  dogwood  to  meet 
the  exacting  requirements  for  raw  material  for  shuttle  blocks.  The  first 
three  commend  it  highly  for  use  in  the  manufacture  of  golf  club  heads. 


Table  16. — Consumption  of  Black  Walnut  in  1919 


Industry 

Quantity 

Average 
Cost 
per  M. 
Feet, 
F.  O.  B. 
Factory 

Total 

Cost 

Source  of  Supply 

Feet,  B.M. 

Per 

Cent 

Grown 

in 

State 

Grown 
Outside 
of  State 

813,000 

25,000 

97.02 

2.98 

$ 206.67 
37.50 

$168,022 .71 
937.50 

558,000 
18, 750 

225,000 

6,250 

838,000 

100.00 

•5  201.62 

■5168,960.21 

576,750 

261,250 

Persimmon  has  been  found  to  possess  to  a greater  degree  than  any 
other  commercial  wood  the  properties  of  dogwood,  and  it  contributes 
largely  in  supplying  the  demands'  of  the  shuttle  block  and  sporting  and 
athletic  goods  manufacturers. 

Ho  persimmon  was  used  by  the  wood-using  factories  of  North  Caro- 
lina in  1919,  but  they  consumed  over  a million  and  a half  feet,  board 
measure,  of  dogwood,  all  of  which  was  converted  into  shuttle  blocks  and 
was  cut  from  home-grown  timber. 

Basswood.- — Three  species  of  basswood  grow  in  the  United  States. 
The  most  common  is  known  merely  as  basswood  ( Tilia  americana). 
The  other  two  are  white  basswood  ( Tilia  heterophylla ) and  downy  bass- 
wood ( Tilia  pubescens).  All  three  species  occur  in  North  Carolina,  but 
they  are  so  nearly  alike  that  lumbermen  do  not  differentiate  between 
them.  Basswood  is  often  called  linn,  which  is  an  abbreviation  of  linden, 
the  name  applied  to  a similar  species  in  Europe. 

Since  basswood  is  a broad-leaved  tree  it  is  classed  as  a hardwood.  The 
wood,  however,  is  softer  than  many  of  the  woods  included  in  the  softwood 
group.  Because  of  the  annual  rings  being  indistinct  and  the  medulary 
rays  invisible  to  the  naked  eye,  basswood  shows  less  figure  irrespective 
of  the  way  it  is  sawed  than  any  other  wood.  Basswood  is  easily  worked, 
warps  very  little,  and  imparts  no  taste  when  used  for  food  containers. 


Wood-using  Industries  of  jSTorth  Carolina 


47 


These  properties  make  it  especially  valuable  for  chopping  bowls,  flour 
buckets,  bread  boards,  and  similar  woodenware.  It  is  also  highly  prized 
by  manufacturers  of  apiarists’  supplies. 

Such  basswood  as  was  consumed  by  the  wood-using  industries  of 
ISTorth  Carolina  in  1919  was  not  employed  for  any  of  the  uses  mentioned 
in  the  preceding  paragraph.  A total  of  735,000  feet,  board  measure,  was 
reported  for  the  year,  and  the  commodities  for  which  it  was  used  were, 
in  the  order  of  importance,  planing  mill  products,  caskets  and  coffins, 
furniture,  and  fixtures.  The  total  quantity  of  basswood  used  was 
cut  from  forests  within  the  boundaries  of  the  State.  Table  17  shows 
by  industries  the  consumption  of  basswood  in  ISTorth  Carolina  in  1919. 


Table  17. — Consumption  of  Bassicood  in  1919 


Industry 

Quantity 

Average 
Cost 
per  M. 
Feet, 
F.  O.  B. 
Factory 

Total 

Cost 

Source  of  Supply 

Feet,  B.M. 

Per 

Cent 

Grown 

in 

State 

Grown 
Outside 
of  State 

400,000 

54.42 

$ 40 .00 

$ 16,000.00 

400,000 

175,000 

23.81 

110.00 

19,250.00 

175,000 

150,000 

20.41 

11,250.00 

150,000 

10,000 

1.36 

85 .00 

850 .00 

10,000 

735,000 

100 .00 

$ 64 .42 

8 47,350.00 

735,000 

Ash. — Fifteen  or  sixteen  different  kinds  of  ash  grow  in  the  United 
States.  Some  of  them  occur  in  restricted  areas,  but  most  of  them  are 
widely  distributed.  As  is  the  case  with  birch  and  gum,  lumbermen 
rarely  differentiate  between  species.  Ash  is  another  very  important 
commercial  wood,  and  is  used  in  the  manufacture  of  a wide  range  of 
commodities  made  wholly  or  partly  of  wood.  It  has  always  been  exten- 
sively employed  and  highly  prized  by  horse-drawn  vehicle  manufacturers, 
who  use  it  for  shafts,  top  bows,  felloes,  panels,  and  many  other  parts. 
The  automobile  industry  depends  upon  it  very  largely  for  raw  material, 
especially  for  body  frames,  running  boards,  storage  battery  boxes,  floor 
boards,  and  many  other  uses.  Its  value  to  both  industries  is  attributable 
to  the  fact  that  it  is  strong,  tough,  and  elastic.  These  properties  com- 
mend it  for  use  in  the  manufacture  of  agricultural  implements  and  for 
certain  kinds  of  sporting  and  athletic  goods,  such  as  tennis  rackets, 
baseball  bats,  and  skis.  It  is  the  premier  wood  for  handles  for  pitch- 
forks,  rakes,  hoes,  shovels,  and  other  farm  and  garden  tools  and  large 
quantities  are  converted  annually  to  this  use.  Because  it  imparts  no 
taste  or  odor  when  used  as  a food  container,  ash  has  always  been  a 
favorite  wood  for  butter  tubs  and  lard  tierces. 


48 


Wood-using  Industries  of  North  Carolina 


White  ash  ( Fraxinus  americana ),  green  ash  ( Fraxinus  lanceolata), 
red  ash  (Fraxinus  pennsylvanica),  and  water  ash  (Fraxinus  caro- 
liniana ) are  the  four  principal  members  of  the  ash  family  found  in 
North  Carolina.  As  is  customary  in  the  trade,  the  wood-using  factories 
of  the  State  which  reported  a consumption  of  ash  in  1919  did  not  indi- 
cate the  species  used.  The  total  quantity  of  ash  that  went  into  final 
manufacture  during  the  year  was  627,000  feet,  board  measure.  This 
was  all  home-grown  wood  and  was  consumed  by  those  industries  engaged 
in  the  manufacture  of  agricultural  implements,  chairs,  fixtures,  handles, 
and  vehicles.  The  quantities  each  . used  are  shown  in  Table  18. 


Table  18.— Consumption  of  Ash  in  1919 


Industry 

Quantity 

Average 
Cost 
per  M. 
Feet, 
F.  O.  B. 
Factory 

Total 

Cost 

Source  of  Supply 

Feet,  B.M. 

Per 

Cent 

Grown 

in 

State 

Grown 
Outside 
of  State 

375,000 

59.81 

S 20,675.00 

150,000 

23.92 

42.00 

6,300.00 

150,000 

91,000 

14.51 

47 .50 

4,322.50 

91,000 

10,000 

1 .60 

35.00 

350 .00 

10,000 

Agricultural  implements 

1,000 

.16 

35.00 

35.00 

1,000 

627,000 

100.00 

S 50 .45 

S 31,632.50 

627,000 

Beech  (Fagus  atr o punic ea) . — Beech  grows  in  all  states  east  and  in 
several  immediately  west  of  the  Mississippi  Biver.  Since  the  wood  of 
beech  is  rather  difficult  to  season  and  frequently  warps  and  checks  when 
in  place  even  after  it  has  been  thoroughly  dried,  it  does  not  compare  in 
quality  with  its  associates,  the  maples  and  birches.  At  one  time  it  was 
considered  an  inferior  wood  and  was  seldom  cut  for  lumber.  Later, 
however,  beech  and  other  species  in  its  class  were  called  on  to  meet  the 
increasing  demands  for  wood,  so  that  at  present  the  annual  sawmill  out- 
put of  beech  lumber  exceeds  190,000,000  feet,  New  York,  Michigan,  and 
Pennsylvania  being  the  three  states  in  the  order  given  which  lead  in  its 
production.  Beech  is  an  important  wood  in  the  slack  cooperage  indus- 
try, large  quantities  going  annually  into  heading  and  staves.  It  is  also 
manufactured  considerably  into  flooring,  that  of  the  special  grade  of 
“Bed  Clear”  beech  possessing  a rich  warm  color  peculiar  to  no  other  wood 
used  for  this  purpose.  Beech  is  much  in  demand  by  brush  manufac- 
turers, who  use  it  for  backs  of  scrubbing  and  other  cheap  brushes.  It  is 
the  principal  wood  used  for  clothes  pins,  and  wood  turners  value  it 
highly  as  raw  material  for  the  manufacture  of  their  products. 


Wood-using  Industries  of  Worth  Carolina 


49 


Beech  occurs  in  iSTorth  Carolina  throughout  the  State.  It  is  found 
sparingly  in  the  form  of  small  trees  in  the  Coastal  Plain  Region,  more 
commonly  and  of  larger  growth  in  the  Piedmont  Region,  and  most 
abundantly  and  of  greatest  size  in  the  Mountain  Region.  The  quantity 
of  beech  lumber  produced  in  the  State  is  small,  the  cut  of  the  few  mills 
that  reported  in  1921  being  slightly  in  excess  of  1%  million  feet,  board 
measure.  The  total  quantity  used  by  the  wood-consuming  factories  of 
ISTorth  Carolina  in  1919  was  205,000  feet,  and  was  used  for  bobbins, 
chairs,  and  furniture.  All  of  the  wood  used  was  obtained  from  sources 
Avithin  the  State,  and  its  distribution  among  the  industries  that  used  it 
is  shown  in  Table  19. 


Table  19. — Consumption  of  Beech  in  1919 


Industry 

Quantity 

Average 
Cost 
per  M. 
Feet, 
F.  O.  B. 
Factory 

Total 

Cost 

Source  of  Supply 

Feet,  B.M. 

Per 

Cent 

Grown 

in 

State 

Grown 
Outside 
of  State 

Shuttles,  spools,  and  bobbins..  .. 

100,000 

80,000 

25,000 

48.78 
39 .02 
12.20 

$ 30.00 

42.00 

35.00 

$ 3,000.00 
3,360.00 
875 .00 

100,000 

80,000 

25,000 

Totals __  

205,000 

100 .00 

S 35.29 

S 7,235.00 

205,000 

Yellow  BucTceye  ( A esculus  octandra ). — Although  buckeye  has  rather 
an  extensive  range,  it  is,  from  the  standpoint  of  lumber  production, 
considered  a minor  species  among  the  commercial  woods  of  the  United 
States.  West  Virginia,  Virginia,  Tennessee,  and  Worth  Carolina  were 
the  only  states  that  reported  a cut  of  buckeye  in  1921,  which  amounted 
to  less  than  4 million  feet,  board  measure.  Buckeye  reaches  its  best 
development  in  the  Alleghany  Mountains  of  Worth  Carolina  and  Ten- 
nessee. The  wood  often  loses  its  identity  and  goes  to  market  mixed  with 
yellow  poplar.  Artificial  limb  manufacturers  sometimes  employ  it  as 
raw  material  for  their  product,  in  which  case  it  is  called  for  by  name. 
The  wood  is  light  in  weight,  cross-grained,  soft,  and  rather  difficult  to 
split.  In  color  it  is  almost  white,  and  the  line  of  demarcation  between 
heartwood  and  sapwood  so  indistinct  as  to  be  hardly  distinguishable. 
The  furniture  factories  and  the  makers  of  caskets  and  coffins  were  the 
only  two  industries  that  reported  a consumption  of  wood  of  this  species 
in  Worth  Carolina  in  1919.  They  used  together  200,000  feet,  board 
measure,  85  per  cent  of  which  \vas  cut  from  home-grown  timber.  The 
quantities  consumed  by  each  are  shown  in  Table  20. 


50 


Wood-tjsing  Industries  oe  Worth  Carolina 


Table  20.— Consumption  of  Buckeye  in  1919 


Industry 

Quantity 

Average 
Cost 
per  M. 
Feet, 
F.  O.  B. 
Factory 

Total 

Cost 

Source  of  Supply 

Feet,  B.M. 

Per 

Cent 

Grown 

in 

State 

Grown 
Outside 
of  State 

125,000 

75,000 

62.50 

37.50 

$ 112.50 
90.00 

$ 14,062.50 
6,750.00 

100,000 

75,000 

25,000 

200,000 

100 .00 

$ 104.06 

S 20,812.50 

175,000 

25,000 

Sycamore  ( Platanus  occidentalis) . — -This  is  a very  common  tree  that 
grows  in  rich,  moist  soil,  generally  near  streams,  and  is  found  in  most 
of  the  states  east  of  the  Mississippi  and  in  several  west  of  that  river. 
It  is  often  called  “buttonwood’  and  “button  ball,”  getting  its  name  from 
the  similarity  of  its  fruit  to  a button  ball.  The  tree  is  easily  distin- 
guished by  the  appearance  of  its  upper  branches,  from  which  the  outer 
bark  usually  peels,  leaving  the  stark  white  inner  bark.  Sycamore,  per- 
haps, attains  greater  diameter  than  any  other  American  hardwood,  trees 
measuring  twelve  to  fifteen  feet  having  been  known.  As  a general  rule, 
however,  such  trees  are  hollow-butted,  sound  trunks  being  found  only  in 
trees  of  approximately  24  inches  and  less  in  diameter.  The  wood  of 
sycamore  has  a distinct  grain,  somewhat  contorted.  It  is  hard,  heavy, 
moderately  strong  and  durable,  moderately  difficult  to  season  and  work, 
and  does  not  hold  its  shape  well.  The  choicest  material  goes  to  the 
furniture  factories  and  is  rift-sawed,  which  exposes  the  broad  medullary 
rays  as  in  quartered  oak.  The  contrast  is  much  more  marked,  however, 
in  sycamore  than  in  oak  and  the  general  appearance  of  the  wood  is  most 
pleasing  to  the  eye.  Sycamore  is  a favorite  wood  for  use  in  the  manu- 
facture of  butchers’  blocks,  for  which  purpose  it  is  usually  cut  into  small 
blocks  that  are  set  on  end  and  bolted  together.  Considerable  quantities 
are  also  utilized  for  meat  skewers. 

Sycamore  grows  in  Worth  Carolina  in  all  parts  of  the  State,  but 
attains  its  best  size  along  the  edges  of  the  alluvial  swamps  of  the  Pied- 
mont Region  and  is  least  abundant  in  the  Coastal  Plain  Region.  As 
shown  in  Table  21,  only  112,000  board  feet  of  this  wood  was  used  in  the 
State  in  1919,  and  the  industries  that  consumed  it  were  the  furniture 
factories  and  fixture  manufacturers. 

Locust. — Two  species  of  locust  occur  in  Worth  Carolina  and  both  are 
found  in  the  Mountain  Region.  They  are  black  or  yellow  locust  ( Bohinia 
pseudacacia ) and  honey  locust  ( Gleditsia  triacanthos) . The  former  is 
the  most  important  of  the  two  species  commercially  and  was  demanded 
in  huge  quantities  during  the  war  with  Germany.  Its  wartime  use  con- 


Wood-using  Industries  of  Worth  Carolina  51 

sisted  of  its  manufacture  into  treenails,  which  are  long,  round,  wooden 
pins,  either  straight  or  tapered,  used  to  fasten  the  timbers  of  wooden 
ships  together.  These  treenails  were  required  by  the  United  States 
Shipping  Board  Emergency  Fleet  Corporation  in  connection  with  its 
wooden  ship  construction  program.  Since  contracts  were  let  for  375 
wooden  vessels,  each  requiring  from  30,000  to  50,000  treenails,  some  idea 
of  the  demand  for  locust  for  national  defense  purposes  can  be  obtained. 
As  in  the  case  of  walnut,  the  entire  country  was  covered  in  order  to  get 
sufficient  raw  material  for  this  purpose.  Honey  locust  is  an  extremely 
porous  wood  and  was  otherwise  found  unsuitable  as  treenail  material. 
Black  locust,  on  the  other  hand,  is  a hard,  dense  wood  of  great  durability, 
and  one  which  shrinks  less  than  any  other  commercially  important  wood 
found  in  this  country.  Black  locust  is  employed  extensively  for  fence 
posts  and  has  been  known  to  give  upward  of  forty  years  service  in  the 
ground.  It  is  also  much  in  demand  for  insulator  pins  and  brackets  and 
tie  plugs. 

Table  21. — Consumption  of  Sycamore  in  1919 


Industry 

Quantity 

Average 
Cost 
per  M. 
Feet, 
F.  O.  B. 
Factory 

Total 

Cost 

Source  of  Supply 

Feet,  B.M. 

Per 

Cent 

Grown 

in 

State 

Grown 
Outside 
of  State 

100,000 

12,000 

89 .29 
10.71 

8 60.00 
35.00 

S 6,000.00 
420.00 

65.000 

12.000 

35,000 

112,000 

100 .00 

8 57.32 

$ 6,420.00 

77,000 

35,000 

Table  22  shows  that  the  wood-using  factories  of  Worth  Carolina 
consumed  370,000  feet,  board  measure,  of  locust  in  1919.  All  of  the 
wood  was  State-grown  and  was  converted  into  loom  parts  and  insulator 
pins. 

Table  22. — Consumption  of  Locust  in  1919 


Industry 

Quantity 

Average 
Cost 
per  M. 
Feet, 
F.  O.  B. 
Factory 

Total 

Cost 

Source  of  Supply 

Feet,  B.M. 

Per 

Cent 

Grown 

in 

State 

Grown 
Outside 
of  State 

Shuttles,  spools,  and  bobbins 

350,000 

20,000 

94.59 
5 .41 

$ 40 .00 

50 .00 

8 14,000.00 
1,000 .00 

350,000 

20,000 

Miscellaneous.. 

370,000 

100.00 

8 40 .54 

8 15,000.00 

370,000 

Elm. — White  elm  ( Ulmus  americana),  slippery  elm  ( Ulmus  pubes- 
cens ),  cork  elm  ( Ulmus  racemosa),  winged  elm  ( Ulmus  data),  and  cedar 


52 


Wood-using  Industries  of  North  Carolina 


elm  (Ulmus  crassifolia)  are  the  five  species  of  this  genus  which  produce 
the  supply  of  elm  wood  in  the  United  States.  The  proportion  which 
each  contributes  to  the  lumber  industry  is  not  known,  since  they  are 
often  mixed  together,  and  when  included  in  statistical  reports  by  lumber- 
men and  wood  users  are  merely  listed  as  “elm.”  In  this  report  no 
attempt  has  been  made  to  separate  the  various  species.  White  elm, 
often  called  American  elm,  is  by  far  the  most  important  species  from 
the  standpoint  of  lumber  production. 

Three  of  the  five  species  of  elm  mentioned  above  occur  in  North 
Carolina.  They  are  white  elm,  winged  elm,  and  slippery  elm.  Hone  of 
them  .are  commercially  important,  however,  as  evidenced  by  the  fact  that 
the  total  production  of  elm  lumber  by  those  sawmills  of  the  State  that 
reported  in  1921  was  only  74,000  feet,  board  measure.  The  wood- 
using factories  of  North  Carolina  consumed  but  6,500  board  feet  of  elm 
in  1919,  all  of  which  was  home-grown  and  went  into  the  manufacture  of 
vehicles  and  vehicle  parts. 

Cottonwood  ( Populus  heterophylla) . — Such  timber  of  this  species  as 
grows  in  North  Carolina  is  for  the  most  part  well  scattered.  It  is 
usually  found  in  the  Piedmont  Region  along  streams  and  on  rich  swampy 
lands,  but  is  not  an  important  commercial  tree  in  the  State.  Cottonwood 
belongs  to  the  poplar  family,  as  do  also  the  aspens.  In  Virginia  it 
frequently  goes  by  the  name  of  Carolina  poplar.  Cottonwood  is  easy 
to  season,  works  well,  and  is  extensively  employed  for  vehicle  body  panels, 
woodenware,  soft  drink  cases,  and  a number  of  other  purposes  where  a 
white  wood  with  practically  no  figure  is  required.  The  box  factories 
of  the  State,  which  in  1919  used  2,000,000  feet  of  this  wood,  were  the 
only  manufacturers  that  reported  the  consumption  of  cottonwood.  All 
of  the  wood  of  this  species  used  was  obtained  from  sources  outside  the 
State. 

Mountain  Laurel  ( Kalmia  latifolia). — Mountain  laurel  is  a small 
evergreen  hardwood  tree  which  usually  attains  an  average  height  of  from 
10  to  15  feet,  although  trees  as  large  as  20  inches  in  diameter  and  40 
feet  high  have  been  known.  Its  range  is  very  wide,  extending  from 
Hew  Brunswick  and  Lake  Erie  to  western  Florida  and  through  the 
Gulf  States  to  western  Louisiana  and  Arkansas.  It  reaches  its  best 
development  in  the  southern  Alleghany  Mountains,  where  it  often  forms 
dense  thickets. 

In  North  Carolina  it  is  found  sparingly  in  the  Coastal  Plain  Region, 
and  to  a greater  extent  in  the  Piedmont  Region.  It  is  most  abundant, 
however,  in  the  Mountain  Region,  where  it  is  known  locally  as  “ivy.” 
Commercially  the  mountain  laurel  is  valuable  for  its  large,  burl-like 
roots,  which  are  used  in  the  manufacture  of  smoking  pipes.  It  serves 


Wood-using  Industries  of  North  Carolina 


53 


as  an  excellent  substitute  for  the  genuine  French  briar,  and  in  the  form 
of  the  finished  product  it  is  difficult  to  differentiate  them.  All  of  the 
15,000  feet  of  mountain  laurel  reported  by  the  wood-using  factories  of 
North  Carolina  in  1919  was  converted  into  smoking  pipes,  and  was 
obtained  from  sources  within  the  State. 

FOREIGN  WOODS 

Two  foreign  woods  were  employed  by  the  wood-using  factories  of 
North  Carolina  in  1919.  They  were  mahogany  and  rosewood.  The 
furniture  industry  used  7,500  feet,  board  measure,  and  the  manufacturers 
of  fixtures  25,000  feet  of  the  former,  while  the  entire  amount  of  25,000 
feet  of  the  latter  was  consumed  by  the  furniture  makers. 


PART  III 


INDUSTRIES 

The  various  species  of  wood  which  the  wood-using  factories  of  ISTorth 
Carolina  employ  as  raw  material  in  the  manufacture  of  their  products, 
their  botanical  relations,  source  of  supply,  and  in  some  instances  their 
properties,  have  been  discussed  in  Part  I of  this  report.  Part  II  deals 
with  the  various  factories  which  use  the  different  woods  and  considers 
the  processes  of  manufacture  employed  and  the  extent  to  which  the  woods 
are  utilized  according  to  the  respective  properties  of  each.  In  ISTorth 
Carolina  a total  of  14  industries  used  493,151,871  board  feet  of  lumber 
in  1919,  and  Table  23  shows  how  the  total  consumption  was  apportioned 
among  them.  The  largest  industry  required  150,503,000  board  feet  of 
wood  and  the  second  in  importance  utilized  109,776,077  board  feet, 
while  the  smallest  used  962,500  board  feet.  Six  other  industries  de- 
manded more  than  15,000,000  board  feet.  Several  small  industries 
represented  by  less  than  three  concerns  each  were  grouped  together 
under  the  heading  “Miscellaneous”  for  the  reason  that  if  they  were 
shown  separately  the  figures  presented  would  reveal  the  individual 
operations  of  the  firms  which  reported.  The  industries  presented  in 
Table  23  have  been  arranged  according  to  the  quantity  of  wood  used. 

In  ISTorth  Carolina  the  handle  factories  and  those  making  agricultural 
implements  were  the  only  two  industries  which  obtained  their  entire 
supply  of  raw  material  from  home-grown  wood.  The  remaining  twelve 
industries  obtained  the  major  portion  of  their  wood  from  sources  within 
the  boundaries  of  the  State.  The  chair  factories  employed  a larger 
percentage  of  wood  obtained  from  outside  the  State  than  any  of  the 
other  industries,  while  the  makers  of  caskets  and  coffins  used  the  least 
quantity  of  shipped-in  wood. 

As  previously  stated,  the  total  consumption  of  wood  by  the  wood-using 
industries  of  ISTorth  Carolina  in  1919  was  493,151,871  feet,  board 
measure,  which  cost  delivered  at  the  factories  $19,875,788.  In  1909,  or 
ten  years  previous,  the  amount  of  wood  used  was  676,166,250  board  feet 
with  a total  delivered  value  of  $9,577,242.  With  these  figures  before 
us  it  is  of  interest  to  note  that  although  the  quantity  of  wood  used  in 
1919  was  less  than  the  amount  reported  in  1909  by  183,014,379  hoard 
feet,  the  price  paid  for  the  1919  consumption  was  more  than  double  the 
cost  of  that  used  in  1909. 


Table  23. — Consumption  of  Wood  in  North  Carolina  in  1919,  by  Industries 


Wood-using  Industries  oe  Horth  Carolina 


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"Wood-using  Industries  of  North  Carolina 


Planing  Mill  Products. — The  manufactured  products  belonging  to 
this  industry  include  such  commodities  that  come  within  the  scope  of 
interior  and  exterior  house  trim  as  flooring,  siding,  ceiling,  partition, 
and  stock  mouldings.  It  does  not,  of  course,  include  lumber,  either 
rough  or  dressed,  used  for  building  construction  which  needs  no  further 
change  than  can  be  made  with  a hatchet,  chisel,  or  saw  to  fit  it  in  place. 

Over  25  per  cent  of  the  lumber  cut  of  the  United  States  is  demanded 
for  the  making  of  products  belonging  to  this  industry  and  more  wood 
in  a greater  variety  of  species  enters  this  line  of  manufacture  than  any 
other.  It  is  to  be  expected,  therefore,  that  these  same  facts  apply  to 
North  Carolina,  and  that  in  this  report  the  planing  mill  industry  takes 
first  place  in  point  of  wood  consumed.  Table  24,  following,  lists  the 
kinds  and  amounts  of  wood  used  in  this  industry  during  the  period 
covered  by  this  report.  It  does  not,  however,  represent  the  total  lumber 
requirements  of  the  State  in  this  line,  for  the  reason  that  considerable 
quantities  of  these  products  are  shipped  into  the  State  in  finished  form 
by  large  lumber  companies  which  operate  planing  mills  in  conjunction 
with  their  sawmills  and  by  factories  that  manufacture  ready-cut  houses. 
A glance  at  Table  24  shows  that  fifteen  different  kinds  of  wood  were 
used  by  the  North  Carolina  manufacturers  of  planing  mill  products. 
North  Carolina  pine  heads  the  list  with  125,734,000  board  feet,  or  nearly 
84  per  cent  of  the  total  amount  of  wood  consumed  by  the  industry. 
Longleaf  pine  and  oak  rank  second  and  third  respectively,  each  con- 
tributing approximately  5 per  cent  of  the  total  quantity  used.  The 
supply  of  basswood,  chestnut,  cypress,  birch,  cedar,  and  those  woods 
included  under  “miscellaneous”  was  obtained  entirely  from  the  forests 
of  the  State.  Of  the  balance  of  the  woods  listed  all  but  one  were  obtained 
in  much  larger  quantities  from  within  the  State  than  from  without.  Of 
the  total  of  150,503,000  board  feet  of  wood  used  by  this  industry  more 
than  88  per  cent  was  cut  from  the  forests  of  North  Carolina.  This  is 
indicative  of  the  importance  which  the  forests  bear  to  the  commercial 
development  of  the  State.  The  planing  mill  industry  is  not  only  one  of 
the  most  prominent  wood-using  industries  of  the  State,  but  also  one  that 
more  strongly  appeals  to  the  interest  of  every  class  of  citizen.  In  order 
to  keep  constant  the  supply  of  wood  which  the  State  contributes  for 
building  material  and,  if  possible,  to  increase  this  supply  in  the  future, 
it  is  essential  that  the  forests  be  adequately  protected  and  improved  with 
this  object  in  view.  The  State  has  perfected  and  has  had  enacted  a law 
embodying  an  excellent  forest  policy  covering  all  phases  of  the  subject. 
If  sufficient  funds  for  fully  carrying  out  the  provisions  of  this  law  are 
provided  and  popular  support  given  much  will  have  been  accomplished 
to  help  solve  the  problem  of  a future  timber  supply. 


PLATE  III 


A.  The  manufacture  of  box  shooks  for  canned  food  packages.  North  Carolina  pine  is  the  wood  used. 


B.  Interior  of  a small  North  Carolina  box  factory. 


Wood-using  Industries  of  Horth  Carolina 


57 


Table  24. — Wood  Used  for  Planing  mill  Products  in  North  Carolina  in  1919 


Kind  of  Wood 

Quantity 

Average 
Cost  per 
M.  Feet 
F.  O.  B. 
Factory 

Total 

Cost 

Source  of  Supply 

Feet, 
B.  M. 

Per 

Cent 

In 

State 

Outside 

State 

Pine,  North  Carolina - 

125,734,000 

83.54 

S 31.12 

$3,912,511 

112,842,000 

12,892,000 

Pine,  longleaf -- 

7,750.000 

5 .15 

43  .31 

335,652 

5,695,000 

2,055,000 

Oak 

7,545,000 

5.01 

41.87 

315,909 

6,853,000 

692,000 

Maple. __  

4,052,500 

2.69 

56.67 

229,655 

3,212,500 

840,000 

Poplar,  yellow... ... 

3,057,000 

2.03 

43 .90 

134,202 

3,055,000 

2,000 

Pine,  white  

610,000 

.41 

57 .50 

35,075 

584,800 

25,200 

400,000 

.27 

40.00 

16,000 

400,000 

300,000 

.20 

35.00 

10,500 

300,000 

Hickory _.  ..  _ 

280,000 

.19 

32.66 

9,145 

275,000 

5,000 

Gum,  red 

253,000 

.17 

113.33 

28,672 

20,000 

233,000 

Gum,  black 

188,000 

.13 

32.63 

6,134 

180,000 

8,000 

50,000 

.03 

60.00 

3,000 

50,000 

47,500 

.03 

68.33 

3,246 

47,500 

36,000 

.02 

30.00 

1,080 

36,000 

200,000 

.12 

32 .00 

6,400 

200,000 

Totals 

150,503.000 

100 .00 

S 33 .54 

S 5,047,181 

133,750,800 

16,752,200 

Boxes  and  Crates. — In  reports  of  this  kind  prepared  in  the  past  for 
other  states  an  effort  was  made  to  secure  data  on  the  wood  used  for 
boxes  from  every  possible  source.  In  this  connection  the  information 
was  solicited  not  only  from  box  factories  but  also  from  all  manner  of 
manufacturing  plants  that  maintain  a packing  department  for  the  mak- 
ing of  packages  and  containers.  Such  establishments  included  glass 
factories,  paper  mills,  machinery  manufacturers,  makers  of  electrical 
goods,  wholesale  dry  goods  stores,  and  similar  concerns.  In  the  prepara- 
tion of  this  report,  however,  these  various  classes  of  consumers  were 
omitted,  the  figures  presented  in  Table  25  merely  showing  the  consump- 
tion of  wood  by  those  firms  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  boxes.  Boxes 
are  used  for  so  many  different  purposes  that  it  is  impractical  to  attempt 
to  list  them.  They  may,  however,  he  separated  into  two  main  groups, 
those  which  are  fully  made  up  and  ready  for  use  and  the  knocked-down 
box,  the  component  parts  of  which  are  more  frequently  referred  to  as 
box  shooks.  The  former  includes  the  nailed  box,  the  wirebound  box, 
the  lock  cornered  box,  and  the  dovetailed  box.  Hailed  boxes  are  rarely 
ever  shipped  in  any  other  than  the  shook  form,  those  that  are  made  up 
ready  for  use  usually  being  sold  in  the  same  locality  in  which  they  are 
made.  The  wirebound  box  is  made  either  of  thin,  resawn  lumber  or  of 
sheets  of  thick  veneer.  In  either  case  it  is  usually  reinforced  with  cleats 
and  further  strengthened  with  wire  or  metal  strapping.  This  is  one  of 
the  types  of  boxes  used  for  the  shipment  of  canned  food.  Even  though 
the  poorest  grades  of  lumber  are  mostly  used  for  the  manufacture  of 


58 


Wood-using  Industries  of  Worth  Carolina 


boxes,  tbe  shortage  of  raw  material  even  in  this  wood-using  industry 
is  reflected  by  tbe  increased  use  of  veneer.  This  type  of  package  is 
particularly  well  adapted  for  tbe  shipment  of  light-weight  material,  such 
as  dry  goods,  millinery,  men’s  hats  and  furnishings,  etc.  Strength  is 
given  to  the  container  by  the  use  of  mortised  and  tenoned  cleats  and 
wire  or  metal  strapping.  The  veneer  box  is  less  expensive  than  the  solid 
wood  box,  and  furthermore,  since  it  is  lighter  in  weight,  effects  a saving 
in  freight  charges  on  a shipment.  Tor  an  especially  strong  box  of 
minimum  weight  plywood  is  employed.  In  this  type  of  box  the  top, 
bottom,  and  sides  are  made  of  three  sheets  of  veneer  glued  together,  the 
direction  of  the  grain  of  the  center  sheet  or  core  running  at  right  angles 
to  the  grain  of  the  two  outer  sheets  or  plys.  In  addition  to  its  strength 
and  light  weight  the  one-piece  faces  of  the  plywood  box  present  a very 
attractive  appearance.  Boxes  of  this  type  are  also  strengthened  with 
cleats  and  in  some  cases  they  are  wire  or  metal  bound.  The  raw  mate- 
rial required  for  both  the  veneer  and  plywood  box  is  usually  cut  by  the 
rotary  or  sliced  veneer  processes.  Since  cheap  veneer  woods,  principally 
the  gums,  are  more  plentiful  in  the  South,  most  of  the  panel  makers  are 
located  there,  and  large  quantities  of  this  class  of  boxes  in  the  form  of 
shooks  are  shipped  from  Worth  Carolina  and  other  states  in  the  Southern 
Appalachian  Hardwood  Region  annually. 

Shooks  are  knocked-down  boxes  so  made  that  they  readily  and  neatly 
fit  when  nailed  together,  and  to  facilitate  assembling,  are  systematically 
bundled.  The  manufacture  of  shooks  includes  both  boxes  and  knocked- 
down  crates.  At  one  time  any  kind  of  lumber,  either  rough  or  dressed, 
in  practically  any  color,  thickness,  or  width  used  to  do  for  boxing  and 
crating,  and  the  lumber  yard  rather  than  the  box  factory  served  as  the 
source  of  supply.  Today  manufacturing  plants  using  wooden  containers 
for  the  shipment  of  their  products  give  considerable  attention  to  their 
packages  and  exercise  care  in  the  matter  of  construction.  As  a conse- 
quence, the  factories  making  box  shooks  are  also  called  upon  to  furnish 
neat  and  well  designed  crates.  These  are  usually  put  up  in  unit  bundles 
and  in  their  manufacture  particular  attention  is  given  to  the  size,  kind, 
and  thickness  of  the  material  used,  dependent  upon  the  weight,  form, 
and  character  of  the  goods  to  be  shipped.  At  the  present  time  well 
designed  and  attractively  branded  packages  for  the  shipment  of  merchan- 
dise constitute  an  excellent  advertising  medium,  the  general  public  being 
quick  to  recognize  the  make  of  goods  which  the  box  or  crate  contains 
without  further  identification  being  necessary. 

Those  factories  in  Worth  Carolina  making  boxes  and  crates  consumed 
the  second  largest  quantity  of  wood.  The  thirty  firms  engaged  in  this 
industry  which  reported  used  during  the  year  1919  a total  of  109,776,077 


Wood-using  Industries  of  Worth  Carolina 


59 


board  feet  of  wood.  Fourteen  different  species  of  wood  were  employed 
in  varying  quantities,  Worth.  Carolina  pine  taking  first  place  with. 
71,980,000  feet,  board  measure,  or  65  per  cent  of  the  total  consumption 
by  the  industry.  The  average  price  f.  o.  b.  factory  paid  for  Worth 
Carolina  pine  by  the  box  makers  in  1919  was  $26.49  per  thousand  board 
feet,  or  nearly  three  times  what  this  material  brought  ten  years  previous. 
Longleaf  pine  ranked  second,  the  quantity  used  being  10,653,077  feet, 
while  black  gum  was  third,  with  7,060,000  board  feet.  Of  the  total 
quantity  of  wood  used  for  boxes,  over  94  per  cent  was  obtained  from  the 
forests  of  the  State.  The  entire  quantity  used  of  eight  of  the  fourteen 
woods  listed  was  obtained  from  sources  within  the  State.  Cottonwood 
was  the  only  species  the  entire  supply  of  which  was  obtained  from  sources 
outside  the  State. 

The  statistics  of  the  United  States  Forest  Service  show  that  in  1921 
Worth  Carolina  ranked  twelfth  among  the  several  states  in  the  produc- 
tion of  eastern  hemlock.  In  view  of  this  fact  it  is  surprising  to  note  that 
the  quantity  of  this  wood,  which  is  cheap  and  otherwise  well  adapted,  for 
box  manufacture,  was  so  small.  A plausible  explanation  would  be, 
however,  that  since  low-grade  hemlock  is  used  for  pulp  as  well  as  boxes, 
the  bulk  of  the  wood  of  this  quality  that  was  used  was  consumed  by  the 
pulp  mills.  Worth  Carolina  pine,  white  pine,  red  gum,  black  gum, 
yellow  poplar,  cottonwood  and  hemlock  are  all  favorite  box  woods  and 
enter  principally  into  the  manufacture  of  packing  boxes  used  in  com- 
merce. The  other  woods  listed  in  Table  25  are  rarely  used  for  this 
purpose,  but  are  frequently  employed  for  fancy  or  novelty  boxes  for 
special  use. 


Table  25. — Wood  Used  for  Boxes  and  Grates  in  North  Carolina  in  1919 


Kind  of  Wood 

Quantity 

Average 
Cost  per 
M.  Feet 
F.  O.  B. 
Factory 

Total 

Cost 

Source  of  Supply 

Feet, 
B.  M. 

Per 

Cent 

In 

State 

Outside 

State 

Pine,  North  Carolina _ 

71,980,000 

65 .57 

S 26.49 

S 1,906,928 

71,010,000 

970,000 

10,653,077 

9.70 

35 .38 

376,906 

10,653,077 

Gum,  black 

7,060,000 

6.43 

28.63 

202,128 

7,060,000 

4,942,000 

4.50 

37 .67 

186,165 

4,942,000 

Gum,  red __  __ 

3,000,000 

2.73 

60.00 

180,000 

500,000 

2,500,000 

2,755,000 

2.51 

35.00 

96 .425 

Oak.....' 

3,347,000 

3.05 

47.92 

160,388 

2,847,000 

500,000 

2,000,000 

1 .82 

75.00 

150,000 

2,000,000 

»> 

Chestnut _ _ 

1,520,000 

1 .39 

50 .00 

76,000 

1,520,000 

1,028,000 

.94 

40.00 

41, 120 

1,028,000 

Maple.  _ _ _ . _ ... 

500,000 

.46 

30.00 

15,000 

250,000 

250,000 

5,000 

* 

30.00 

150 

5,000 

986,000 

.90 

16.50 

16,269 

986,000 

Total ...  _ 

109,776,077 

100.00 

S 31.04 

S3, 407, 479 

103,556, 077 

6,220,000 

•Less  than  .005  per  cent. 


60 


Wood-using  Industries  of  Worth  Carolina 


Furniture. — In  accordance  with  the  last  official  statistics  that  were 
gathered,  Worth  Carolina  ranked  first  among  the  several  states  in  the 
consumption  of  wood  for  use  in  the  manufacture  of  furniture,  the  city 
of  High  Point  being  the  center  of  the  industry.  Since,  however,  the 
quantity  of  wood  used  in  1919  by  the  furniture  makers  of  the  State  was 
less  by  approximately  35  million  feet  than  was  reported  in  1909,  it  is 
probable  that  Worth  Carolina  does  not  still  hold  first  place  in  the  in- 
dustry. The  factories  of  the  State  engaged  in  this  line  of  manufacture 
make  all  classes  of  furniture  from  the  cheap  kitchen  table  to  the  high- 
priced  piano-finished  parlor  suit.  Por  the  most  part,  furniture  may  be 
separated  into  two  main  groups:  (1)  Commodities  that  are  more  im- 
portant from  a utilitarian  standpoint,  such  as  cupboards,  ice  boxes,  and 
refrigerators;  (2)  articles  in  which  the  appearance  of  the  finished 
product  is  as  important  as  its  lasting  qualities.  This  second  class  com- 
prises dining  room,  living  room,  library,  parlor,  and  bed  room  furniture, 
all  of  which  is  usually  purchased  with  the  object  in  view  of  having  it 
harmonize  with  the  other  appointments  of  the  room  in  which  it  is  to  be 
placed,  as  well  as  to  tone  in  with  the  general  interior  decorative  scheme 
of  the  house  as  a whole.  In  the  preparation  of  the  1909  report  on  the 
wood-using  industries  of  Worth  Carolina,  the  two  classes  of  furniture 
mentioned  above  were  kept  separate  and  considered  as  separate  indus- 
tries. In  this  report,  however,  owing  to  the  form  in  which  the  original 
data  were  collected,  it  was  found  impracticable  to  segregate  them.  As 
was  the  case  in  the  previous  Worth  Carolina  report,  however,  the  manu- 
facture of  chairs  has  been  considered  as  a separate  industry.  This  is 
done  because  of  the  fact  that  the  economic  conditions  existing  in  the 
chair  industry  are  distinctly  different  from  those  of  the  furniture  indus- 
try. For  example,  the  form  of  the  raw  material  is  different,  the  processes 
of  manufacture  are  in  no  way  alike,  and  in  the  marketing  of  the  products 
they  are  usually  kept  separate. 

Furniture  makers  demand  various  kinds  of  wood.  In  fact,  the  num- 
ber of  woods  used  by  this  industry  in  Worth  Carolina  was  greater  than 
was  reported  by  any  other  discussed  in  this  report.  The  wide  variation 
in  classes  and  grades  of  furniture  makes  this  necessary.  Some  are  con- 
structed for  the  most  part  of  costly  woods;  others  entirely  of  cheap 
material.  Even  in  the  manufacture  of  expensive  furniture,  however,  it 
is  customary  to  employ  cheap  plain  woods  for  interior  hidden  parts,  and 
reserve  the  finer  ones  for  the  outside  finish.  An  ideal  in  high-grade 
furniture  manufacture,  and  one  that  is  sought  after  in  well  organized, 
up-to-date  factories,  is  the  production  of  a product  which  not  only  pre- 
sents a pleasing  appearance,  but  from  a practical  point  of  view  is  con- 
structed of  the  most  suitable  material  available  for  the  purpose. 


PLATE  IV 


A wooden  bedstead  of  oak  in  the  “white,”  or  before  any  finish  of  any  kind  is  applied. 
The  framework  is  solid  wood,  and  plywood  is  used  for  the  panels. 


PLATE  V 


A.  Higher  grade  walnut  bedroom  pieces  in  a North  Carolina  furniture  factory.  The 
chairs  to  the  right  are  finished  in  old  ivory  and  have  cane  seats. 


B.  Interior  of  a North  Carolina  factory  devoted  to  the  manufacture  of  bedroom  furni- 
ture. The  articles  shown  consist  of  footboards  of  wooden  beds. 


PLATE  VI 


A.  Mirror  frames  for  bureaus,  chiffoniers,  and  dressing  tables  as  produced  by  a North 
Carolina  manufacturer  of  bedroom  furniture. 


B.  The  glue-room  of  a large  North  Carolina  furniture  factory. 


Wood-using  Industries  oe  Worth  Carolina 


61 


From  the  standpoint  of  quantity  used,  oak  is  the  most  important 
furniture  wood  in  this  country.  Even  in  those  states  where  the  supply 
of  standing  timber  of  this  species  is  extremely  limited  it  leads  all  other 
woods.  Iowa,  Minnesota,  and  Michigan  are  examples.  On  the  other 
hand,  in  those  regions  where  other  furniture  woods  are  more  plentiful, 
such  as  red  gum  in  the  southern  Mississippi  Yalley,  oak  still  leads  in 
quantity  consumed.  Red  gum,  maple,  birch,  and  yellow  poplar  in  the 
order  named  are  the  other  woods  demanded  in  the  greatest  quantity  by 
furniture  factories. 

The  bulk  of  the  cheaper  grades  of  furniture  are  constructed  of  solid 
wood,  as  are  also  some  of  the  better  grades,  such  as  the  poplar  mission 
type.  For  this  class  of  furniture  woods  with  pronounced  grain  are  most 
commonly  used,  such  as  oak,  ash,  chestnut,  etc.  The  more  costly  pieces 
of  furniture,  where  one  of  the  main  objects  is  to  show  an  attractive 
figured  surface,  are  constructed  mainly  of  built-up  wood.  This  char- 
acter of  construction  is  in  general  use  throughout  the  furniture  industry, 
and  consists  of  the  manufacture  of  various  furniture  parts  out  of  several 
laminations  of  wood  glued  together.  In  the  construction  of  built-up 
wood  or  plywood,  the  name  by  which  it  is  most  commonly  known,  the 
inside  layer  or  core  is  usually  of  some  soft,  porous,  coarse-grained  wood, 
such  as  chestnut,  ash,  or  yellow  poplar,  which  possesses  the  particular 
quality  of  absorbing  and  holding  glue  well.  To  each  side  of  this  core, 
which  varies  considerably  in  thickness  according  to  the  use  to  be  made 
of  the  plywood,  is  glued  a thin  sheet  of  finish  wood,  or  face  veneer,  as  it 
is  known  in  the  trade,  the  grain  of  which  runs  at  right  angles  to  the  core. 
Such  construction  is  much  stronger  than  solid  wood,  and  will  hold  its 
shape  better.  In  addition,  the  method  followed  in  cutting  veneer  makes 
it  possible  to  obtain  a wonderful,  natural  figure  in  the  wood.  Hence,  in 
furniture  made  of  plywood  a far  more  beautiful  outside  appearance 
from  the  standpoint  of  grain  can  be  secured  than  is  possible  in  solid 
wood  construction.  The  use  of  veneer  in  furniture  making  dates  back 
to  Colonial  days,  many  of  the  antique  pieces  of  that  time  being  con- 
structed in  this  manner,  with  the  exception  that  the  core  was  of  the  same 
wood,  usually  mahogany  or  walnut,  as  the  face  veneer. 

Table  26  gives  in  the  order  of  their  importance  from  the  standpoint 
of  quantity  used  the  various  woods  used  for  furniture  in  Horth  Carolina 
in  1919.  Oak  was  most  in  demand,  the  quantity  used  being  40,465,000 
board  feet,  or  nearly  41  per  cent  of  the  total  consumption.  Red  gum 
occupied  second  place  with  23,475,000  hoard  feet,  and  was  followed  in 
the  order  named  by  yellow  poplar,  chestnut,  Horth  Carolina  pine,  and 
maple.  All  of  the  13  other  woods  shown  were  used  in  quantities  of  less 
than  1,000,000  feet,  while  mahogany,  an  important  furniture  wood,  con- 
tributed only  7,500  board  feet. 


62 


Wood-using  Industries  oe  North  Carolina 


Oak,  chestnut,  North  Carolina  pine,  and  sycamore  were  the  woods 
employed  by  the  North  Carolina  furniture  factories  for  frame  work. 
Principally  because  of  their  ability  to  wear  smooth  sugar  maple  and  ash 
were  used  for  drawer  and  extension  table  slides.  As  mentioned  above, 
soft,  coarse  grained,  porous  woods  are  considered  best  for  core  stock, 
and  chestnut,  yellow  poplar  and  North  Carolina  pine  supplied  the 
demand.  Oak,  red  gum,  black  walnut,  birch,  rosewood  and  mahogany 
were  the  principal  woods  used  for  exterior  finish.  Yellow  poplar  pos- 
sesses to  a marked  degree  the  property  of  taking  paint  well  and  in  this 
connection  serves  admirably  as  a finish  wood  for  white  enameled  furni- 
ture. White  pine,  basswood,  black  gum,  sycamore,  and  beech  served 
for  drawer  bottoms,  partitions,  shelving  and  other  inside  work.  Since 
the  wood  scours  white  and  is  thus  easily  kept  clean,  buckeye  is  valued 
for  kitchen  table  tops,  while  for  kitchen  safes  and  cabinets  yellow  poplar, 
gum  and  the  lower  grades  of  oak  were  used.  Nearly  100  million  feet  of 
wood  were  used  by  the  industry  during  1919,  and  of  this  quantity  over 
70  per  cent  was  cut  from  forests  of  the  State. 


Table  26. — Wood  Used  for  Furniture  in  Forth  Carolina  in  1919 


Kind  of  Wood 

Quantity 

Average 
Cost  per 
M.  Feet 
F.  O.  B. 
Factory 

Total 

Cost 

Source  of  Supply 

Feet, 
B.  M. 

Per 

Cent 

In 

State 

Outside 

State 

Oak 

40,465,000 

40.90 

5 57.33 

$ 2,319,858 

35,309,000 

5, 156,000 

Gum,  red_ 

23,475,000 

23.72 

79.47 

1,865,558 

2,582,500 

20,892,500 

Poplar,  yellow 

11,642,000 

11.77 

45.42 

528,780 

10,163,000 

1,479,000 

Chestnut 

11,244,000 

11.36 

40.53 

455,719 

10,944,000 

300,000 

Pine,  North  Carolina— 

8,773,000 

8.87 

26.55 

232,945 

8,433,000 

340,000 

Maple - _ _ 

1,030,000 

1.04 

79.69 

82,081 

637,500 

392,500 

Walnut,  black  ...  _ - -- 

813,000 

.82 

206.67 

168,023 

558,000 

255,000 

Birch _ _ _ 

405,000 

.41 

57.50 

23,288 

285,000 

120,000 

300,000 

.30 

23.00 

6,900 

300,000 

150,000 

75.00 

11,250 

150,000 

Buckeye __  

125,000 

.13 

112.50 

14,062 

100,000 

25,000 

Sycamore 

100,000 

.10 

60.00 

6,000 

65,000 

35,000 

80,000 

.08 

42.00 

3,360 

80,000 

50,000 

70.00 

3,500 

50,000 

50,000 

.05 

40 .00 

2,000 

50,000 

25,000 

.03 

450.00 

11,250 

25,000 

10,500 

.01 

50.00 

525 

10,500 

7,500 

.01 

350 .00 

2,625 

7,500 

201,000 

.20 

25 .00 

5,025 

201,000 

Totals _ _ 

98,946,000 

100  .00 

S 58.04 

$5,742,749 

69,568,500 

29,377,500 

Chairs. — Although  chairs  are  classed  as  furniture,  it  is  customary,  as 
explained  under  the  chapter  on  furniture,  to  consider  their  manufacture 
separately.  The  reason  for  this  is  primarily  because  chair  factories 
confine  their  operations  to  that  one  article,  while  the  furniture  industry 


PLATE  VII 


I 

• 

1 1 j { 1 

j 1 j ft 

B.  A corner  of  the  finishing  room  of  a North  Carolina  chair  factory.  Settees,  rockers, 
dining-room  chairs  and  others  are  shown  in  the  picture. 


> 


PLATE  VIII 


A.  Chairs  and  settees  in  a North  Carolina  plant  ready  for  staining  and  finishing.  In 
this  factory  red  gum  is  the  principal  wood  used. 


B.  Chair  parts  in  the  making  in  a North  Carolina  factory. 


Wood-using  Industries  of  Horth  Carolina 


63 


lias  a much,  wider  field  of  operation.  In  the  manufacture  of  chairs 
Worth  Carolina  stands  well  up  toward  the  top  among  the  various  states 
in  which  this  industry  attains  any  importance.  In  1919  the  chair 
makers  of  the  State  used  31,627,000  feet,  board  measure,  of  wood,  con- 
sisting of  eight  different  kinds.  Of  these  oak  was  the  most  important, 
contributing  more  than  two-thirds  of  the  total  quantity  consumed.  Of 
the  entire  amount  reported  by  the  chair  industry,  over  66  per  cent  was 
supplied  by  the  forests  of  the  State.  Red  gum  and  maple  were  obtained 
in  larger  quantities  from  outside  the  State  than  from  within,  while  the 
supply  of  all  the  others  listed,  with  the  exception  of  oak,  was  home- 
grown. Table  27  shows  the  quantity  of  each  kind  of  wood  used  by  the 
industry,  the  average  price  paid  for  it  f.  o.  b.  factory,  its  total  cost,  and 
the  source  from  which  it  was  obtained. 

The  raw  material  used  by  the  chair  industry  consists  for  the  most  part 
of  dimension  stock,  usually  squares,  the  chair  makers  perhaps  using 
more  wood  in  this  form  than  any  other  industry.  Sawmills  operating 
in  hardwood  timber  make  a practice  of  supplying  such  stock  and  obtain 
it  by  bolting  slabs  and  edgings.  They  also  frequently  use  for  this  pur- 
pose small  crooked  logs,  tops,  down  timber,  and  cut-offs  which  ordinarily 
could  be  disposed  of  in  no  other  way.  Wood-using  factories,  especially 
those  requiring  oak,  beech,  birch,  and  maple,  constitute  another  source 
of  supply.  In  such  plants  low  grades  and  factory  waste  are  converted 
to  this  use.  In  some  instances  this  material  is  further  manufactured 
into  turned  chair  parts  and  shipped  to  the  chair  factories  ready  to 
assemble.  In  view  of  the  foregoing,  it  can  be  seen  that  the  chair  indus- 
try occupies  a position  of  economic  importance,  in  that  it  not  only 
contributes  to  the  industrial  development  of  the  State,  but  also  to  the 
movement  of  forest  conservation  through  its  tendency  to  promote  the 
closer  utilization  of  mill  and  factory  waste. 

Hot  all  of  the  raw  material  used  by  this  industry  is  in  the  form  of 
dimension  stock,  nor  is  all  of  the  dimension  stock  used  by  chair  makers 
obtained  from  waste.  Tor  chair  seats  and  backs,  wide  planks  in  thick- 
nesses ranging  from  1%  to  2%  inches  are  used,  and  this  same  class  of 
material  is  ripped  up  into  squares  in  order  to  obtain  sufficient  stock  in 
this  form  to  meet  the  requirements  of  the  industry.  Chair  stock  is 
usually  thoroughly  air-seasoned  or  kiln-dried  before  use.  Sawmills 
cutting  dimension  stock  for  the  chair  industry  from  green  timber  are 
careful  to  see  that  the  stock  is  straight-grained  and  fairly  free  from 
defects,  and  that  allowance  is  made  for  shrinkage. 

Dimension  stock  in  the  form  of  principally  birch,  beech,  and  maple 
squares  are  required  mostly  for  turned  chair  parts  or  others  which  can 
readily  be  manufactured  from  raw  material  of  this  kind,  such  as  square 


64 


Wood-using  Industries  of  North  Carolina 


tapered  legs  and  square  rung  stock.  For  chairs  which  follow  more  or 
less  straight  line  designs,  as  well  as  for  those  of  the  mission  style,  requir- 
ing parts  which  are  wider  than  they  are  thick,  the  raw  material  is  cut 
from  wide  plank.  Oak,  ash,  and  chestnut  are  more  commonly  called 
on  for  raw  material  for  the  better  grades  of  these  types  of  chairs,  while 
for  the  parts  of  the  cheaper  imitation  articles  woods  like  sap  red  gum, 
hirch,  and  also  elm  are  used,  with  a grain  representing  that  of  oak,  ash 
or  chestnut  printed  on  them. 


Table  27. — Wood  Used  for  Ghairs  in  North  Carolina  in  1919 


Kind  of  Wood 

Quantity 

Average 
Cost  per 
M.  Feet 
F.  O.  B. 
Factory 

Total 

Cost 

Source  of  Supply 

Feet, 
B.  M. 

Per 

Cent 

In 

State 

Outside 

State 

Oak 

23,930,000 

75.66 

$ 60.48 

$ 1,447,286 

18,576,500 

5,353,500 

Gum,  red 

4,047,000 

12.80 

95.67 

387,176 

400,000 

3,647,000 

Maple— 

2,290,000 

7.24 

45.34 

103,829 

790,000 

1,500,000 

650,000 

2.05 

38.66 

25,129 

650,000 

375,000 

1.19 

55.00 

20,625 

375,000 

160,000 

.51 

25.00 

4,000 

160,000 

150,000 

.47 

40.00 

6,000 

150,000 

25,000 

.08 

35.00 

25,000 

Totals 

31,627,000 

100 .00 

S 63 .08 

$ 1,994,920 

21,126,500 

10,500,500 

Vehicles  and  Vehicle  Parts. — Hickory  and  oak,  in  the  order  men- 
tioned, have  always  been  the  two  leading  vehicle  woods,  but  in  North 
Carolina  in  1919  these  two  species  were  relegated  to  third  and  fourth 
place  respectively  by  red  gum  and  North  Carolina  pine,  which  from  the 
standpoint  of  quantity  consumed  occupied  first  and  second  place  in  the 
order  named.  That  red  gum  took  first  place  in  the  industry  is  surpris- 
ing, especially  in  view  of  the  fact  that  this  wood,  on  the  basis  of  total 
annual  consumption  by  the  vehicle  industry  for  the  entire  United  States 
ranks  ninth  in  importance.  In  North  Carolina  in  1909  it  occupied  sixth 
place,  the  total  quantity  consumed  by  the  vehicle  industry  during  that 
year  being  only  250,000  feet,  board  measure.  In  1919  the  quantity  used 
increased  to  9,240,000  feet,  board  measure,  or  over  33  per  cent  of  the 
total  amount  of  all  kinds  of  wood  used  by  the  industry.  This  sudden 
prominence  of  red  gum  in  the  vehicle  industry  of  the  State  is  explained, 
however,  in  this  way.  A certain  factory  in  North  Carolina  engaged  in 
the  manufacture  of  wooden  automobile  parts  uses  red  gum  exclusively, 
and  the  bulk  of  the  9,240,000  hoard  feet  reported  as  having  been  used 
by  the  vehicle  makers  of  the  State  was  consumed  in  this  particular 
factory.  It  has  always  been  a rule  of  the  Forest  Service  in  preparing 
reports  of  this  kind  to  exclude  from  them  all  information  likely  to  reveal 


PLATE  IX 


A.  The  wheel-room  of  a large  North  Carolina  wagon  factory. 


B.  Wagon  box-board  stock,  hubs  and  spokes  in  the  plant  of  a large  North  Carolina  farm 

wagon  manufacturer. 


PLATE  X 


A.  Interior  of  a Nor-th  Carolina  wagon  factory.  Completed  wheels  in  the  foreground  and 
finished  wooden  gear  parts  in  the  rear  ready  for  assembling. 


B.  A portion  of  the  assembly  room  for  running  gears  in  the  factory  of  a large  wagon  maker  of  North 

Carolina. 


Wood-using  Industkies  of  Nobth  Cakolina 


65 


the  operations  of  individual  firms.  Since  the  factory  in  question  is  the 
only  one  in  the  State  that  makes  these  articles,  this  rule  would  be 
violated  if  the  name  of  the  article  were  divulged  or  its  use  described. 

In  accordance  with  the  latest  statistics  of  the  National  Automobile 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  there  were,  in  1919,  in  the  entire  world  a total 
of  8,750,000  automobiles,  7,558,848  of  which  are  in  the  United  States, 
or  1 to  every  14  of  the  population  of  this  country.  With  these  facts 
before  us,  it  is  not  surprising  that  many  of  the  establishments  through- 
out the  country  which  formerly  made  horse-drawn  vehicles  have  been 
converted  and  are  now  engaged  in  some  way  in  that  part  of  the  automo- 
bile industry  where  wood  is  the  raw  material  used.  Even,  however,  with 
the  phenomenal  growth  of  the  motor  car  industry,  the  demand,  especially 
in  rural  districts,  for  horse-drawn  vehicles  is  still  strong. 

Specialization  has  always  been  an  important  practice  in  the  vehicle 
industry,  and  is  the  principal  reason  why  so  few  factories  manufacture 
the  full  complement  of  parts  needed  to  turn  out  a complete  vehicle. 
Some  establishments  purchase  hubs,  spokes,  and  rims  separately  and 
complete  the  vehicle  from  this  point.  Others  obtain  wheels  already 
manufactured,  axles  with  skeins  fitted  in  place,  and  other  parts  of  the 
running  gear  fully  ironed,  and  merely  build  the  bodies.  Still  another 
class  buy  all  parts  complete,  even  to  the  bodies  and  tops,  and  assemble 
them.  In  order  to  avoid  duplication,  assembling  establishments  of  this 
kind  were  not  taken  into  account  in  the  compilation  of  the  data  relating 
to  this  industry. 

The  kinds  of  horse-drawn  vehicles  manufactured  in  North  Carolina 
are  buggies,  surreys,  carriages,  and  similar  light  pleasure  vehicles,  as 
well  as  farm  and  delivery  wagons,  carts,  warehouse  and  other  trucks  and 
wheelbarrows.  In  the  manufacture  of  these  vehicles,  oak  and  hickory 
contributed  the  largest  quantity  of  raw  material.  Hickory  was  used 
for  such  parts  as  spokes,  rims,  tongues,  bolsters,  axle  caps,  hounds,  top 
bows,  fuchels,  single,  double  and  whiffle  trees.  Oak  was  employed  for 
body  frames,  wagon  spokes,  axles,  and  felloes,  hounds,  tongues,  bolsters, 
etc.  Ash  was  converted  into  top  bows  and  body  frames,  while  birch  and 
elm  were  used  largely  for  hubs.  Eor  body  work  red  gum,  North  Caro- 
lina pine,  yellow  poplar,  and  white  pine  constituted  the  principal  woods 
used.  In  making  wagons,  the  vehicle  manufacturers  used  for  flooring 
or  bottom  boards  maple,  oak  and  ash,  while  for  panels  yellow  poplar, 
white  pine  and  red  gum  were  the  woods  reported.  Body  linings  were  of 
yellow  poplar  and  North  Carolina  pine,  the  latter  wood  also  being  used 
for  warehouse  trucks. 

In  the  automobile  field,  which  in  North  Carolina  consisted  principally 
of  the  manufacture  of  commercial  bodies,  the  oak  and  ash  that  was  used 


5 


66 


Wood-using  Industries  of  North  Carolina 


went  for  body  and  door  frames.  North  Carolina  pine,  oak  and  yellow 
poplar  were  employed  for  seat  boxes,  while  elm,  yellow  poplar,  ash  and 
red  gum  supplied  the  raw  material  needed  for  floor  boards  and  running 
boards. 

The  vehicle  industry  of  North  Carolina  consumed  in  1919  a total 
of  27,867,000  feet,  board  measure,  of  wood,  the  total  cost  of  which  was 
over  a million  dollars.  Since  the  industry  demands  high-grade  material, 
it  naturally  follows  that  the  average  price  paid  for  it  was  comparatively 
high.  The  quantity  of  wood  used  by  the  industry  in  1919  exceeded  that 
reported  in  1909  by  12,231,000  feet,  board  measure.  Of  the  total  quan- 
tity used,  slightly  over  85  per  cent  was  home  grown. 

Table  28  shows  the  kinds  and  quantities  of  the  various  woods  required 
by  the  industry,  the  average  price  per  1,000  feet  f.  o.  b.  factory  which 
the  vehicle  makers  paid  for  it,  the  total  cost,  and  the  source  from  which 
it  was  obtained. 

Table  28. — Wood  Used  for  Vehicles  and  Vehicle  Parts  in  North  Carolina 

in  1919 


Kind  of  Wood 

Quantity 

Average 
Cost  per 
M.  Feet 
F.  O.  B. 
Factory 

Total 

Cost 

Source  of  Supply 

Feet, 
B.  M. 

Per 

Cent 

In 

State 

Outside 

State 

Gum,  red 

9,240,000 

33.16 

$ 51 .75 

$ 478,170 

7,280,000 

1,960,000 

Pine,  North  Carolina 

6,393,000 

22 .94 

29.53 

188,797 

5,793,000 

600,000 

Oak 

6,719,500 

20.52 

45.74 

261,610 

5,319,500 

400,000 

Hickory - 

5,553,000 

19.93 

42.46 

235,780 

4,433,000 

1,120,000 

Poplar,  yellow..  

657,000 

2.36 

45.68 

30,012 

639,800 

17, 200 

91,000 

.33 

47.50 

4,322 

91,000 

75,000 

.27 

25.00 

1,875 

75,000 

Birch 

68,000 

.24 

51.00 

3,468 

38,000 

30,000 

10,000 

.04 

45.00 

450 

10,000 

6,500 

.02 

24.00 

156 

6,500 

54,000 

.19 

38.33 

2,070 

54,000 

Totals 

27,867,000 

100.00 

S 43 .30 

S 1,206,710 

23,739,800 

4,127,200 

Fruit  and  Vegetable  Packages. — Wood  in  the  form  of  veneer  is  the 
raw  material  used  by  this  industry  in  the  manufacture  of  barrels, 
baskets,  berry  crates,  hoppers,  etc.,  for  use  in  shipping  peaches,  apples, 
potatoes,  beans,  tobacco,  cucumbers,  berries  of  every  kind,  and  other 
fruits  and  vegetables.  The  veneer  used  is  cut  in  thicknesses  ranging  from 
Ho  1°  % °f  an  inch.  The  cheapest  woods  available  are  usually  em- 
ployed. The  raw  material  comes  to  the  factory  in  the  form  of  logs, 
which  are  cut  into  bolts  of  the  required  length.  The  bolts  are  boiled  or 
subjected  to  steam  for  from  12  to  24  hours  to  soften  them,  and  then  the 
bark  is  removed.  The  bolt  is  then  placed  in  the  veneer  stave  machine, 


Wood-using  Industries  of  North  Carolina 


67 


which  consists  of  a cylinder  containing  knives.  As  the  log  revolves  the 
knives  cut  the  face  of  the  bolt  lengthwise  to  a depth  equal  to  the  thick- 
ness of  veneer  desired,  and  the  staves  come  from  the  machine  in  finished 
form  ready  for  assembling.  One  form  of  waste  in  this  industry  consists 
of  core  stock,  which  is  that  part  of  the  bolt  that  is  left  after  all  the 
veneer  possible  has  been  removed.  These  cores  are  sawed  into  thin 
lumber,  are  joined  together  with  cleats  to  make  a square  board,  and  then 
cut  around  into  bottoms  and  lids.  Other  waste  is  converted  into  hoops. 

By  referring  to  Table  29  it  can  be  seen  that  black  gum,  North  Caro- 
lina pine,  and  yellow  poplar  were  the  principal  woods  used  by  the  plants 
engaged  in  this  industry.  Manufacturing  costs  in  the  industry  are  high, 
and  for  this  reason  high-priced  woods  cannot  be  employed.  The  low 
average  price  of  $23.38  per  1,000  feet,  board  measure,  f.  o.  b.  factory, 
reflects  the  low  quality  of  the  logs  used  in  the  production  of  the  com- 
modities made.  The  cheapness  of  the  material  used,  coupled  with  the 
fact  that  a thousand  feet,  log  measure,  will  make  six  or  eight  thousand 
surface  feet  of  veneer,  more  than  offsets  costly  production.  This  enables 
the  factories  manufacturing  fruit  and  vegetable  packages  to  offer  them 
at  reasonable  prices,  thus  stimulating  the  demand  for  such  packages  for 
shipping  farm  and  truck  garden  products  to  market. 

The  total  amount  of  wood  used  by  the  industry  in  1919  was  22,791,897 
feet,  board  measure.  In  point  of  quantity  consumed,  black  gum  took  the 
lead  with  11,505,000  feet,  hoard  measure.  North  Carolina  pine  ranked 
second  with  9,184,587  board  feet,  while  yellow  poplar  occupied  third 
place.  Nearly  97  per  cent  of  the  total  amount  of  wood  used  for  fruit 
and  vegetable  packages  was  home  grown. 


Table  29. — Wood  Used  for  Fruit  and  Vegetable  Packages  in  North  Carolina 

in  1919 


Kind  of  Wood 

Quantity 

Average 
Cost  per 
M.  Feet 
F.  O.  B 
Factory 

Total 

Cost 

Source  of  Supply 

Feet, 
B.  M. 

Per 

Cent 

In 

State 

Outside 

State 

Gum,  black.. 

Pine,  North.  Carolina  

Poplar,  yellow 

11,505,000 

9,184,587 

848,307 

813,807 

440,196 

50.48 

40.30 

3.72 

3.57 

1.93 

$ 22.79 

21.69 

37 .00 
39.50 

18.00 

s 262,199 
199,227 
31,387 
32,145 
7,924 

11,505,000 

9,184,587 

135.807 

813.807 
440,196 

712,500 

Totals 

22,791,897 

100 .00 

S 23 .38 

S 532,882 

22,079,397 

712,500 

Sash,  Doors,  Blinds,  and  General  Mill  Work. — The  commodities  dis- 
cussed in  this  chapter  are  so  closely  allied  to  those  produced  by  the 
planing  mill  that  it  is  sometimes  difficult  to  differentiate  them.  Planing 


68 


"Wood-using  Industries  of  Worth  Carolina 


mill  products  for  the  most  part,  however,  consist  of  such  articles  as 
flooring,  ceiling,  siding,  partition,  and  stock  mouldings,  which  are  manu- 
factured universally  to  standard  design  and  size.  The  ordinary  planing 
mill  usually  operates  planers  and  nothing  else,  and  is  frequently  con- 
nected with  a large  sawmill,  which  supplies  it  with  rough  lumber.  The 
mill  which  turns  out  sash  and  doors  may  be  considered  more  in  the 
nature  of  a factory,  since  it  planes,  saws,  cuts,  fits,  and  finishes  the  article 
produced.  In  addition  it  is  usually  equipped  with  a wide  variety  of 
machinery  adaptable  for  turning  out  custom  work.  Unlike  the  planing 
mill,  it  procures  its  raw  material  in  the  general  market  in  quantities 
and  kinds  needed  to  fill  current  or  anticipated  orders.  Formerly  sash, 
doors,  and  blinds  were  made  in  local  planing  mills,  but  within  recent 
years  the  establishment  of  factories  specializing  in  the  manufacture  of 
these  commodities  in  standard  sizes  has  caused  the  small  planing  mills 
to  abandon  this  line  of  work.  At  the  present  time,  therefore,  the 
products  of  the  local  sash,  door,  blind,  and  general  mill  work  factories 
consist  for  the  most  part  of  commodities  made  on  special  order.  They 
comprise  sash,  doors,  blinds,  window  frames,  stair  work,  built-in  cup- 
boards, mantels,  grills,  panels,  cornice  and  porch  finish,  capitals,  columns, 
lattice  work,  and  other  classes  of  interior  and  exterior  house  trim. 

Table  30  lists  the  various  woods  demanded  by  this  industry  in  Worth 
Carolina  during  the  year  1919.  It  will  be  noted  that  Worth  Carolina 
pine  heads  the  list  and  contributed  over  75  per  cent  of  the  total  used  by 
the  industry.  Longleaf  pine  occupied  second  place,  while  oak  ranked 
third.  Wearly  90  per  cent  of  the  total  quantity  of  wood  consumed  by 
the  industry  was  obtained  from  the  forests  of  the  State.  The  total 
supply  of  five  of  the  eight  woods  reported  by  the  industry  was  obtained 
from  sources  within  the  State,  as  was  also  the  bulk  of  the  other  three. 

The  Worth  Carolina  door,  as  it  is  known  to  the  trade,  is  one  of  the 
most  important  articles  of  commerce  produced  by  the  factories  of  the 
State.  It  gets  its  name  from  the  fact  that  Worth  Carolina  pine  'is  the 
wood  used  in  its  manufacture.  Other  woods  that  contributed  to  the  raw 
material  for  doors  are  longleaf  pine,  cypress,  oak,  chestnut,  and  white 
pine.  As  is  the  case  in  other  wood-using  industries,  veneer  plays  an 
important  part  in  the  manufacture  of  doors.  Some  of  the  highest 
grades  of  this  class  of  woodwork  are  of  built-up  construction.  For 
veneer  doors  the  usual  run  of  soft,  porous  woods,  such  as  chestnut,  yellow 
poplar,  and  white  pine,  are  employed  for  core  stock  and  highly  figured 
woods  for  the  face  veneer.  Yeneer  doors,  if  properly  made,  are  much 
stronger,  less  liable  to  warp,  and  will  give  better  service  than  those  made 
of  solid  wood.  White  and  Worth  Carolina  pine  and  some  oak  were  the 
principal  woods  used  for  sash,  both  stock  sash  and  that  calling  for 


PLATE  XI 


A.  The  finishing  room  in  a North  Carolina  casket  factory. 


B.  The  manufacture  of  burial  cases  in  a North  Carolina  casket  factory. 


Wood-using  Industries  of  North  Carolina 


69 


special  designs  and  sizes.  The  capacity  of  cypress,  especially  the  heart- 
wood,  to  resist  decay  makes  it  an  important  wood  for  use  in  the  manu- 
facture of  window  screens,  cornice,  window  frames,  and  greenhouse  sash 
and  other  articles  used  in  damp  or  exposed  situations. 

Yellow  poplar  is  a wood  that  takes  paint  well,  and  because  of  this  fact 
is  extensively  employed  for  outside  trim.  Oak  is  a favorite  wood  for 
mantels  and  other  high-grade  finish,  for  which  purpose  it  is  used  on 
account  of  its  attractive  grain  and  because  it  takes  a high  polish.  When 
quarter-sawed,  the  broad  medullary  rays,  or  “flakes”  as  they  are  referred 
to  in  the  trade,  present  a very  pleasing  appearance  in  interior  house  trim. 


Table  30. — Wood  Used  for  Sash,  Doors,  and  Blinds 


Kind  of  Wood 

Quantity 

Average 
Cost  per 
M.  Feet 
F.  O.  B. 
Factory 

Total 

Cost 

Source  of  Supply 

Feet, 
B.  M. 

Per 

Cent 

In 

State 

Outside 

State 

Pine,  North  Carolina 

12,580,000 

75.74 

S 32 .09 

S 403,701 

11,080,000 

1,500,000 

Pine,  Longleaf.  

2,700,000 

16.26 

39.00 

105,300 

2,540,000 

160,000 

365,000 

2.20 

37.83 

13,808 

365,000 

300,000 

1.81 

25.00 

7,500 

300,000 

Pine,  white _ . . ...  ... 

270,000 

1.63 

49.17 

13,276 

220,000 

50,000 

243,000 

1.46 

36.75 

8,930 

243,000 

100,000 

.60 

30.00 

3,000 

100,000 

50,000 

.30 

50.00 

2,500 

50,000 

Totals 1 

16,608,000 

100 .00 

$ 33 .60 

5 558,015 

14,898,000 

1,710,000 

Caskets  and  Coffins. — Care  and  reverence  in  laying  away  the  dead  is 
an  age-old  custom  of  the  human  race  the  world  over,  a fact  that  is  well 
corroborated  by  the  discoveries  made  at  the  recently  opened  tomb  of 
King  Tut-ankh-amen.  The  manufacture  of  coffins  dates  back  many 
centuries.  The  mummy  cases  of  the  ancient  Egyptians  to  be  found  in 
museums  of  the  present  day  are  evidence  of  this  fact.  Cedar  of  Lebanon 
was  one  of  the  woods  employed  for  this  purpose,  and,  strange  as  it  may 
seem,  some  of  these  burial  cases,  although  made  only  of  wood,  have 
survived  the  passage  of  centuries  down  the  misty  corridor  of  time,  while 
the  houses  and  other  structures  built  of  stone  during  those  periods  have 
crumbled  into  dust. 

During  the  present  century  it  was  formerly  the  custom  for  every  com- 
munity to  provide  its  own  coffins  as  needed,  and  the  local  carpenters  or 
cabinet  makers  were  called  upon  to  furnish  them.  The  name  “coffin” 
has  almost  universally  been  replaced  by  the  term  “casket.”  Both  are 
used  for  the  same  purpose,  the  only  difference  being  that  the  coffin  is 
constructed  so  as  to  conform  to  the  lines  of  the  human  body,  while  the 
casket  is  merely  rectangular  in  shape.  The  latter  type  of  burial  case 


70 


Wood-using  Industries  of  Yorth:  Carolina 


is  the  one  most  commonly  used  at  present.  Today  the  manufacture  of 
caskets  and  coffins  is  an  important  wood-using  industry  carried  on  largely 
in  cities.  The  manufacture  of  outer  cases,  or  the  rough  box  in  which  the 
casket  is  placed,  is  also  a part  of  the  industry.  As  much  wood  is  con- 
sumed in  making  these  boxes  as  is  used  in  the  manufacture  of  caskets. 
Woods  that  are  easily  worked,  take  stain  well,  and  are  susceptible  of  a 
good  polish  are  used  for  cheap  coffins.  Yellow  poplar  is  more 'commonly 
employed  than  any  other  wood.  In  the  South  the  principal  wood  used 
for  coffins  is  cypress,  while  western  red  cedar  serves  the  same  purpose  on 
the  Pacific  Coast,  and  basswood  is  favored  in  the  Lake  States. 

In  Yorth  Carolina,  as  in  many  other  States,  chestnut  is  considered 
the  most  suitable  wood  for  caskets.  Since  nearly  all  caskets  are  cloth- 
covered,  this  permits  of  the  use  of  the  lower  grades  of  lumber.  At  the 
same  time  the  raw  material  must  be  free  of  defects  that  would  be. likely 
to  affect  the  strength  and  durability  of  the  casket.  Chestnut  is  espe- 
cially durable  under  ground,  and,  in  addition,  it  is  light  in  weight  and 
possesses  sufficient  strength.  Some  of  the  chestnut  going  into  caskets 
is  of  the  very  best  grade,  but  for  the  most  part  the  grade  known  com- 
mercially as  “sound  wormy”  is  used.  The  lumber  sold  under  this  grade 
is  perforated  with  small  worm  holes  about  1/16  inch  in  diameter,  but  it 
possesses  the  requisite  strength  and  durability,  and  the  worm  holes  are 
an  advantage,  since  they  present  an  especially  good  surface  to  which  to 
glue  the  cloth  covering.  High-priced  caskets  are  finished  in  natural 
wood  that  has  been  carefully  worked,  and  in  some  cases  handsomely 
carved,  and  then  given  a piano  finish.  For  such  burial  cases  mahogany, 
walnut,  oak,  and  similar  highly-figured  cabinet  woods  are  employed. 

In  Table  31  are  listed  the  various  woods  which  supplied  the  raw 
material  consumed  by  the  casket  and  coffin  manufacturers  of  Yorth 
Carolina  in  1919.  Chestnut  occupied  first  place  with  7,852,915  feet, 
board  measure,  while  Yorth  Carolina  pine  was  a close  second  with 
6,418,569  board  feet.  The  chestnut  reported  went  into  caskets  and 
coffins,  while  the  Yorth  Carolina  pine  was  used  principally  for  outer 
boxes.  The  total  amount  of  wood  consumed  by  this  industry  during 
the  year  was  16,469,897  feet,  board  measure,  and  chestnut  and  Yorth 
Carolina  pine  together  contributed  more  than  86  per  cent  of  this  quan- 
tity. Of  the  total  quantity  of  wood  reported  by  the  industry,  less  than 
lp2  per  cent  was  obtained  from  sources  outside  the  boundaries  of  the 
State.  The  fact  that  the  requirements  of  these  manufacturers  are  met 
so  largely  by  the  forests  of  the  State  should  elicit  their  interest  in  any 
movement  that  has  for  its  object  the  perpetuation  of  the  timber  supply 
of  Yorth  Carolina. 


Wood-using  Industries  of  Worth  Carolina 


71 


Table  31. — Wood  Used  for  Caskets  and  Coffins  in  North  Carolina  in  1919 


Kind  of  Wood 

Quantity 

Average 
Cost  per 
M.  Feet 
F.  O.  B. 
Factory 

Total 

Cost 

Source  of  Supply 

Feet, 
B.  M. 

Per 

Cent 

In 

State 

Outside 

State 

7,852,915 

47.68 

$ 43 .34 

$ 340,345 

7,852,915 

Pine,  North  Carolina 

6,418,569 

38.97 

29.70 

190,631 

6,337,569 

81,000 

956,856 

5.81 

33.61 

32, 160 

956,856 

326,557 

1.98 

35.60 

11,625 

326,557 

Oak 

290,000 

1.76 

74.17 

21,509 

290,000 

200,000 

1.22 

40.00 

8,000 

200,000 

175,000 

1.06 

110.00 

19,250 

175,000 

150,000 

.91 

110.00 

16,500 

150,000 

75,000 

.46 

90.00 

Walnut,  black 

25,000 

.15 

37 .50 

938 

18,750 

6,250 

Totals 

16,469,897 

100.00 

$ 39 .33 

S 647, 708 

16,232,647 

237,250 

Elevators  and  Machine  Construction. — Tlie  principal  raw  materials 
used  in  tlie  manufacture  of  elevators  and  various  kinds  of  machinery- 
consist  of  iron  and  steel.  Wood,  however,  is  indispensable  for  certain 
parts,  and  in  Worth  Carolina  varying  quantities  of  seven  different  woods 
were  used  by  those  factories  engaged  in  this  industry  in  the  manufacture 
of  grist  mills,  both  stationary  and  portable,  freight  elevators,  cotton 
gins,  cotton  presses,  textile,  sawmill,  and  tobacco  machinery,  feed  mills, 
and  similar  apparatus.  Wearly  85  per  cent  of  the  4,949,500  feet,  hoard 
measure,  of  wood  consumed  by  the  industry  was  Worth  Carolina  pine, 
over  half  of  which  was  employed  in  the  making  of  portable  grist  mills, 
each  requiring  in  the  neighborhood  of  200  feet,  board  measure,  of  wood. 
The  modern  passenger  elevator  is  usually  an  all-metal  product,  with  a 
sanitary  composition  floor.  In  the  manufacture  of  freight  elevators, 
however,  wood  is  still  extensively  employed.  Tor  such  parts  as  plat- 
forms, guide  posts,  and  guide  strips  sugar  maple  and  longleaf  pine  were 
found  especially  well  adapted,  while  oak  served  for  car  sills  and  over- 
head beams.  For  freight  elevator  car  siding  Worth  Carolina  pine  was 
used,  and  large  quantities  of  this  wood  were  also  consumed  in  the  manu- 
facture of  miscellaneous  machinery,  where  it  was  employed  for  light 
frames  and  panel  work.  Yellow  poplar  and  white  pine  were  used  for 
grain  runways,  hoppers,  and  bins  of  grist  mills,  as  was  also  sugar  pine, 
a wood  of  the  Pacific  Coast.  Sugar  maple  was  employed  for  section 
beams  and  other  parts  of  textile  machinery  where  a hard,  dense  wood  is 
required.  This  wood  was  also  used  along  with  oak  for  log  decks  and 
carriage  platform  parts  of  sawmill  machinery.  Table  32  shows  the 
woods  used  by  this  industry. 


72 


Wood-using  Industries  of  Worth  Caeolina 


Hearly  90  per  cent  of  tire  total  quantity  of  wood  used  by  this  industry 
was  supplied  from  home-grown  timber.  Here,  again,  is  evidence  of  the 
dependence  of  the  wood-using  industries  of  Worth  Carolina  upon  a con- 
tinuous supply  of  State-grown  wood.  This  should  serve  to  stimulate 
interest  among  wood-using  factories  in  the  matter  of  obtaining  an  ade- 
quate appropriation  to  put  into  effect  the  forestry  law  of  the  State. 


Table  32. — Wood  Used  for  Elevators  and  Machine  Construction  in 
North  Carolina  in  1919 


Kind  of  Wood 

Quantity 

Average 
Cost  per 
M.  Feet 
F.  O.  B. 
Factory 

Total 

Cost 

Source  of  Supply 

Feet, 
B.  M. 

Per 

Cent 

In 

State 

Outside 

State 

Pine,  North  Carolina 

4,200,000 

84.86 

$ 24 .28 

$ 101,962 

3,765,000 

435,000 

260,000 

5.25 

52 .30 

13,598 

260,000 

184,000 

3.72 

55 .00 

10,120 

184,000 

Pine,  longleaf __ 

160,000 

3.23 

42.50 

6,800 

10,000 

150, 000 

Pine,  white 

98,000 

1.98 

58.60 

5,743 

95,000 

3,000 

42,500 

.86 

110.00 

42,500 

5,000 

.10 

135.00 

675 

5,000 

Totals 

4,949,500 

100 .00 

S 29 .01 

S 143,573 

4,356,500 

593,000 

Shuttles,  Spools,  and  Bobbins. — When  the  work  of  preparing  State 
wood-using  industry  reports  was  first  started  by  the  Forest  Service  a 
careful  selection  of  headings  was  made  to  cover  certain  industries  or 
groups  of  industries.  This  classification  was  followed  in  the  prepara- 
tion of  the  thirty-odd  reports  of  this  kind  that  were  published.  In  some 
cases  the  similarity  of  the  products  made  in  several  industries  made  it 
advisable  to  combine  such  industries  under  one  heading.  This  accounts 
for  the  shuttle,  spool,  and  bobbin  industry,  and  although  these  various 
products  are  not  always  made  in  the  same  factory,  the  processes  of  manu- 
facture are  so  much  alike  as  to  make  it  convenient  for  purposes  of  tabu- 
lation to  combine  them. 

In  Worth  Carolina  the  articles  made  by  the  factories  embraced  in  the 
above-mentioned  group  of  industries  include  not  only  shuttles,  spools, 
and  bobbins,  but  also  picker  sticks,  cones,  cobs,  clearer  rollers,  and  other 
loom  supplies  and  skewers.  Tor  shuttles  the  favorite  woods  are  dog- 
wood and  persimmon,  both  of  which  because  of  their  density  possess  to 
a high  degree  the  requisite  property  of  wearing  smooth  with  continued 
use.  In  addition,  they  are  heavy,  hard,  and  strong.  The  manufacture 
of  shuttle  blocks  is  usually  an  industry  separate  from  the  manufacture 
of  shuttles.  Great  care  is  exercised  in  getting  out  the  blocks.  Fre- 
quently costly  delays  and  damage  result  when  shuttles  of  second  quality 
are  put  in  the  loom.  Therefore,  to  obviate  this  and  to  avoid  injury  to 


PLATE  XII 


A.  Dogwood  is  the  principal  wood  used  for  shuttles.  The  picture  shows  a pile  of  dog- 
wood logs  on  the  yard  of  a North  Carolina  shuttle-block  factory. 


B.  Shuttles  in  the  making,  the  raw  material  used  in  being  the  dogwood  blocks  produced  by  the  shuttle- 

block  mill. 


Wood-using  Industries  of  North  Carolina 


73 


delicate  fabrics  during  tbe  process  of  weaving  only  perfect  blocks  can  be 
used.  Shuttle  blocks  are  cut  to  full  size  to  allow  for  seasoning,  and  the 
following  dimensions  are  considered  standard : 


Dimension  of 

Dimension  of 

Size 

Green  Block 

Dry  Block 

No.  0 

15”  x 2”  x 1%" 

14% " x 1%"  x 1 %" 

No.  1 

15%"  x 2%"  x iy8" 

15"  x 17s”  x 1%” 

No.  2 

16 %"  x 2 %"  x 2" 

16"  x 2"  x 1%" 

No.  3 

16% " x 2%”  x 214" 

16"  x 2"  x 2" 

No.  4 

17"  x 2%"  x 1%" 

16%"  x 2%"  x 1%” 

No.  5 

18”  x 2%6"  x 214” 

17%"  x 2%"  x 1%" 

No.  6 

19% " x 2%6"  x 2” 

19”  x 2%"  x 2" 

No.  7 

21%”  x 2i3/16"  x 2%," 

21"  x 2%"  x 2%" 

No.  8 

23 %"  x 3%"  x 2i%6" 

23”  x 2%"  x 2%" 

Blocks  must 

be  cut  from  perfectly  clear  timber,  correctly  sawn 

free  from  knots,  checks,  cross  grain,  bark,  or  other  defects  which  would 
give  the  finished  shuttle  the  slightest  bit  of  rough  surface.  In  sawing 
out  the  blocks  the  practice  is  to  cut  them  so  as  not  to  include  the  pith  of 
the  tree.  Immediately  after  being  sawed  both  ends  of  the  blocks  are 
dipped  to  a distance  of  about  an  inch  in  paraffin  or  a mixture  of  lamp- 
black and  rosin  to  prevent  end  checking.  They  are  then  stacked  for 
sixty  or  ninety  days  to  permit  of  partial  seasoning  and  the  development 
of  imperfections  which  cannot  be  detected  in  the  green  wood.  The  per- 
fect blocks  are  then  sorted  out,  tied  up  in  burlap  sacks  according  to  size, 
and  shipped  to  the  shuttle  factory.  These  blocks  pass  through  twenty- 
three  separate  and  distinct  operations  during  the  process  of  converting 
them  into  finished  shuttles.  The  North  Carolina  factories  engaged  in 
this  industry  used  no  persimmon  in  1919,  but  reported  over  a million 
and  a half  feet  of  dogwood,  this  species,  from  the  standpoint  of  quantity 
consumed,  being  second  only  to  hickory  among  the  various  woods  used. 

Picker  sticks  are  those  parts  of  a loom  mechanism  which  cause  the 
shuttle  to  move  backward  and  forward  in  its  groove.  Por  these  articles 
hickory  has  been  found  most  satisfactory,  and  a large  part  of  the 
1,925,000  feet,  board  measure,  of  this  wood  was  converted  to  this  use. 
The  balance  was  consumed  in  the  manufacture  of  skewers,  the  small, 
pointed,  pencil-like  wooden  sticks  used  by  butchers  to  fasten  together 
roasts  of  beef  and  other  cuts  of  meat  after  the  bone  has  been  removed. 

Wood  suitable  for  bobbins  must  be  hard,  tough,  and  close-grained,  and 
possess  the  ability  to  turn  well  without  the  wood  “roughing  up”  during 
the  process.  Beech,  birch,  and  maple  possess  these  qualities  to  a high 
degree,  and  in  North  Carolina  were  used  for  bobbins  and  speeder  mate- 
rial as  well  as  for  other  turned  loom  parts,  such  as  quills  and  twisters. 


74 


Wood-tjsing  Industries  oe  Horth  Carolina 


The  yellow  poplar  reported  by  this  industry  went  into  tbe  manufacture 
of  quill  boards,  while  the  commodities  made  from  the  locust  used  con- 
sisted of  cobs,  cones,  and  other  miscellaneous  parts. 

The  manufacture  of  spools  is  an  industry  confined  for  the  most  part 
to  Hew  England,  the  State  of  Maine  being  its  center,  and  the  wood  of 
paper  birch  the  raw  material  most  used.  Ho  spools  were  reported  as 
having  been  manufactured  in  Horth  Carolina  in  1919. 

The  woods  used  in  1919  by  the  Horth  Carolina  factories  engaged  in 
the  manufacture  of  shuttles,  spools,  and  bobbins  are  presented  in  Table 
33,  and  are  arranged  in  the  order  of  their  importance  from  the  stand- 
point of  consumption.  This  table  also  shows  the  average  cost  per  thou- 
sand feet  f.  o.  b.  factory  of  the  different  species  listed.  Hearly  five 
million  feet  of  wood  was  reported,  and  of  this  quantity  nearly  97  per 
cent  was  cut  from  home-grown  timber. 


Table  33. — Wood  Used  for  Shuttles,  Spools,  and  Bobbins  in  North  Carolina 

in  1919 


Kind  of  Wood 

Quantity 

Average 
Cost  per 
M.  Feet 
F.  O.  B. 
Factory 

Total 

Cost 

Source  of  Supply 

Feet, 
B.  M. 

Per 

Cent 

In 

State 

Outside 

State 

Hickory __ 

1,925,000 

41 .09 

$ 55 .71 

S 107,242 

1,925,000 

1,575,000 

33.62 

35.00 

1,575,000 

Maple 

400,000 

8.54 

45.00 

18,000 

250,000 

150,000 

350,000 

7.47 

40.00 

14,000 

350,000 

225,000 

4.81 

17.00 

3,825 

225,000 

100,000 

2.13 

30.00 

3,000 

100,000 

100,000 

2.13 

30.00 

3,000 

100,000 

10,000 

.21 

30.00 

300 

10,000 

Totals 

4,685,000 

100.00 

S 43 .65 

S 204,492 

4,535,000 

150,000 

Handles. — The  handle  factories  of  Horth  Carolina  reported  the  use  of 
2,991,000  board  feet  of  wood  in  1919,  which  cost  them  $100,189,  or  an 
average  of  $33.50  per  thousand  feet,  board  measure,  f.  o.  b.  factory.  All 
of  the  wood  was  supplied  by  the  forests  of  the  State,  and  the  industries 
that  used  it  are  shown  in  Table  34. 

Hickory  is  the  best  known  material  for  certain  classes  of  tool  handles, 
such  as  the  axe,  pick,  hammer,  adze,  and  hatchet.  Hearly  half  of  the 
total  quantity  of  wood  consumed  by  the  industry  was  hickory.  Woods 
to  take  the  place  of  this  valuable  handle  material  have  been  sought  the 
world  over,  but  no  satisfactory  substitute  has  yet  been  found.  There  is 
a strength,  toughness,  and  elasticity  to  hickory  which  nature  has  denied 
to  other  commercial  woods.  Some  are  stronger,  many  are  harder,  but 


PLATE  XIII 


A.  Ash  and  hickory  handle  squares  seasoning  under  cover  at  a North  Carolina  handle  factory. 


B.  Finished  and  partly  finished  “D"  shovel  handles  in  a North  Caro- 
lina handle  plant. 


PLATE  XIV 


Rough-turned  “D”  shovel  handles,  the  product  of  a North  Carolina  handle  plant. 


Wood-using  Industries  of  Hokth  Carolina 


75 


the  rare  combination  of  tbe  qualities  mentioned  is  lacking  in  all  of  them. 
Since  this  paragraph  has  reverted  to  the  subject  of  the  mechanical  prop- 
erties of  hickory,  it  may  be  of  interest  to  discuss  briefly  a few  other 
points  relative  to  this  important  wood. 

Hickory  is  often  referred  to  as  though  it  were  a single  species,  like 
red  gum  or  yellow  poplar.  In  reality  there  are  as  many  as  ten  different 
varieties,  some  of  which  are  valuable  for  handle  manufacture  and  others 
not.  The  sapwood  of  hickory  is  white  and  is  universally  referred  to  as 
“white  hickory,”  while  the  heartwood  is  red,  and  is  known  to  the  trade 
as  “red  hickory.”  The  proportion  between  the  heartwood  and  sapwood 
varies  greatly  in  different  trees,  at  different  ages  during  the  life  of  the 
same  tree,  and  between  different  species.  Generally  young  trees  growing 
in  the  open  are  nearly  all  sapwood,  while  old  trees  possess  compara- 
tively thin  sapwood.  There  has  always  existed  a prejudice  against  the 
use  of  the  heartwood  of  hickory  for  handles,  a prejudice  principally 
on  the  part  of  the  consumer.  The  manufacturer,  on  the  other  hand,  has 
long  been  aware  of  this  condition,  and  has  realized  that  he  has  been 
placing  brash  white  hickory  in  the  grade  of  Ho.  1 handles  and  throwing 
red  hickory  handles  of  excellent  quality  into  the  grade  of  Ho.  2.  This 
practice,  for  the  most  part,  however,  has  been  followed  principally  in 
connection  with  axe,  adze,  machinist  hammer  handles,  and  others  requir- 
ing great  resiliency  or  the  ability  to  resist  shock.  This  property  is  not 
insisted  upon  in  pick  handles,  and  for  these  no  objection  is  usually  raised 
to  the  use  of  the  heartwood  of  the  tree.  In  other  words,  strength  in 
hickory  has  always  been  associated  with  the  sapwood.  Heartwood  in  a 
larger  proportion  than  sapwood  is  more  likely  to  be  found  in  trees  of 
slow  growth.  The  same  is  true  of  old  trees,  which  have  naturally 
reached  that  age  producing  narrow  annual  rings.  Accordingly  red 
hickory  is  associated  in  the  tree  with  wood  showing  narrow  annual  rings 
of  growth.  Exhaustive  experiments  conducted  by  the  Forest  Service, 
however,  have  shown  red  hickory  to  he  just  as  strong,  weight  for  weight, 
as  white  hickory,  and  highly  suitable  when  of  proper  density  for  all 
types  of  handles. 

With  the  increasing  scarcity  of  hickory,  oak  is  being  employed  for 
clay  and  railroad  pick  handles  as  well  as  others  which  do  not  require 
the  elasticity  so  essential  in  an  axe  handle.  Ash  is  the  favorite  wood  for 
farm  tool  handles,  such  as  pitch  forks,  grubbing  hoes,  rakes,  spades, 
shovels,  manure  forks,  etc.  In  other  states  where  the  manufacture  of 
handles  is  included  among  the  other  industries  represented,  ash,  from 
the  standpoint  of  quantity  used,  is  usually  second  in  importance  to 
hickory  among  the  woods  employed.  In  Horth  Carolina,  however,  it 
came  within  one  of  occupying  last  place,  and  the  150,000  feet,  board 


76 


"Wood-using  Industries  of  Horth  Carolina 


measure,  that  was  reported  was  not  used  for  the  types  of  handles  men- 
tioned above,  but  went  entirely  for  broom  handles,  along  with  Horth 
Carolina  pine  and  gum. 


Table  34. — Wood  Used  for  Handles  in  North  Carolina  in  1919 


Kind  of  Wood 

Quantity 

Average 
Cost  per 
M.  Feet 
F.  O.  B. 
Factory 

Total 

Cost 

Source  of  Supply 

Feet, 
B.  M. 

Per 

Cent 

In 

State 

Outside 

State 

1,351,000 

45.17 

$ 40.71 

% 54,999 

1,351,000 

800,000 

26 .75 

20,00 

16.000 

800,000 

Oak 

540,000 

18.06 

33 .50 

18,090 

540,000 

Ash___ 

150,000 

5.01 

42.00 

6.300 

150,000 

150,000 

5.01 

32.00 

4,800 

150,000 

Totals 

2,991,000 

100.00 

S 33 .50 

S 100, 189 

2,991,000 

Fixtures. — The  products  turned  out  by  those  establishments  making 
fixtures  are  so  closely  related  to  those  of  the  sash,  door,  and  blind  facto- 
ries and  the  furniture  plants  that  it  is  sometimes  difficult  to  determine 
under  which  classification  they  properly  belong.  Fixtures  may  be  said 
to  occupy  the  middle  position  between  these  two  industries.  The  term 
“fixtures”  as  used  in  this  report  includes  various  types  of  show-cases  and 
counters  for  stores  and  shops,  and  such  furnishings  as  wall  cases,  pews, 
altars,  pulpits,  partitions,  railings,  especially  designed  desks,  tables, 
racks,  and  telephone  booths  and  similar  articles  for  offices,  churches,  hotel 
lobbies,  lodge,  court,  and  bank  directors’  rooms,  barber  shops,  lunch 
rooms,  cafeterias,  etc.  One  item  of  dissimilarity  between  the  commodi- 
ties made  in  the  sash,  door,  and  blind  factory  and  those  produced  in  the 
plant  making  fixtures  is  that  the  former,  such  as  mantels,  colonades,  and 
cabinet  work  are  for  the  most  part  of  permanent,  built-in  construction, 
while  the  latter  are  usually  readily  portable,  or,  at  least,  can  be  moved 
with  slight  remodeling.  Large  establishments  usually  specialize  in  one 
or  the  other  of  the  two  lines  mentioned.  In  small  towns,  however,  where 
the  local  demand  does  not  justify  separate  industries,  establishments 
will  often  be  found  that  are  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  both. 

Practically  the  same  woods  as  are  used  in  the  manufacture  of  furni- 
ture are  employed  for  fixtures,  with  the  exception  that  perhaps  a larger 
proportion  of  the  higher  grades  is . demanded  by  the  latter  industry. 
In  both  industries  the  woods  consumed  may  be  grouped  into  those  used 
for  exterior  finish  and  those  that  go  into  interior  construction  of  hidden 
work.  In  the  fixture  industry,  as  in  the  manufacture  of  furniture,  and, 
in  fact,  in  many  other  industries,  veneer  plays  an  important  part. 


PLATE  XV 


A.  A store  and  office-fixture  factory  in  North  Carolina.  Showcases  in  the  making. 


B.  A special  order  of  white  enamel  tea-room  fixtures  under  construction  in  the  plant 
of  a North  Carolina  office-fixture  manufacturer. 


Wood-using  Industries  of  jSTorth  Carolina  77 


METHOD  OF  QUARTER  SAWING  A LOG 


TWEOTHER  HALF  OFTHE  LOG  13  CUTINTHE  SAME  MANNER 


Plate  No.  26 — Method  of  quarter-sawing  a log. 


78 


Wood-using  Industries  of  Worth  Carolina 


Oak,  which  occupied  first  place  among  the  eleven  woods  used  by  the 
fixture  makers  of  Worth  Carolina,  was  called  on  to  supply  nearly  half 
of  the  total  quantity  of  raw  material  used  hy  the  industry  in  1919.  Its 
prominence  in  this  industry,  and  the  fact  that  it  ranked  first  among  the 
woods  used  for  furniture,  is  due  mainly  to  its  highly-figured  grain, 
especially  when  quarter  sawn  or  when  cut  into  veneer  hy  the  rotary 
process.  Quarter  sawing  is  the  same  as  rift  sawing  and  consists  of  the 
cutting  of  the  log  into  halves  lengthwise  and  the  sawing  of  these*  halves 
into  hoards,  the  saw  crossing  the  annual  rings  of  growth  at  right  angles 
or  as  nearly  so  as  possible.  During  the  operation  the  halves  of  the  logs 
are  canted  two  to  several  times  on  the  carriage.  Plate  23  shows  the 
common  method  of  quarter-sawing  a log.  Perhaps  more  figure  is  shown 
in  cutting  oak  if  the  boards  are  merely  plain  sawed,  but  the  pleasing 
effect  of  the  wide  flake  produced  by  quarter  sawing  is  more  in  demand, 
and,  in  addition,  lumber,  when  so  cut,  is  less  liable  to  warp.  Worth 
Carolina  pine  was  second  among  the  list  of  woods  used,  hut  practically 
all  of  it  went  into  hidden  work.  Yellow  poplar  goes  both  into  exterior 
and  hidden  works,  its  suitability  for  these  uses  being  due  to  its  soft 
texture,  stability,  straight,  even  grain,  the  fact  that  it  is  easily  worked, 
and  because  it  takes  and  holds  paint  perhaps  better  than  any  other  wood. 
All  of  these  properties  commend  it  for  exterior  enameled  work,  partitions, 
drawer  bottoms,  hidden  parts  of  show-cases  and  shelving.  Birch  is  the 
wood  most  often  used  to  imitate  mahogany,  for  which  purpose  the  heart- 
wood  of  the  tree  is  usually  employed,  although  the  white  sapwood  is  also 
similarly  used.  Birch  occupied  fourth  place  from  the  standpoint  of 
quantity  used  in  this  industry.  Bed  gum  is  another  wood  extensively 
employed  for  fixtures,  although  in  Worth  Carolina  the  quantity  used 
during  the  period  covered  by  this  report  was  less  than  200,000  feet,  board 
measure.  Some  red  gum  trees  produce  what  is  termed  “figured  wood.” 
The  figure  in  red  gum  is  fundamentally  different  from  the  characteristic 
figures  of  oak  and  many  other  woods.  Oak’s  figure  in  quarter-sawed 
stock  is  due  to  the  medullary  rays,  with  certain  modifications  hy  annual 
rings  of  growth.  The  figure  in  chestnut  is  due  almost  wholly  to  the 
annual  rings  of  growth.  Bed  gum’s  figure  is  due  to  neither.  The  shades 
and  tones  cross  the  annual  rings  in  every  direction,  although  they  some- 
times follow  them  with  a certain  amount  of  regularity.  The  medullary 
rays  have  practically  no  visible  effect,  the  colors  ramifying  through  the 
wood  and  obeying  no  kuown  law  of  growth  or  deposit  of  earthy  matter. 
With  red  gum,  especially  figured  wood  in  the  form  of  rotary  cut  veneer, 
it  is  possible,  therefore,  to  obtain  a wonderful  variety  of  markings  and 
color  tones  to  meet  the  individual  taste  of  the  designer.  Bed  gum  has 


PLATE  XVI 


Agricultural  implement  handles  and  the  raw  material  from  which  they  are  made. 
The  handles  are  of  oak  and  are  first  steamed  and  then  bent,  and  afterwards 
worked. 


PLATE  XVII 


A.  One-horse,  three-row  grain  drills  as  manufactured  in  an  agricultural  imple- 
ment factory  of  North  Carolina.  Oak  is  used  for  handles  and  beams,  while 
North  Carolina  pine  is  employed  for  seed  boxes. 


B.  Interior  of  a North  Carolina  agricultural  implement  factory.  Oak  is  the  only  wood 
used  in  the  manufacture  of  the  small  fertilizer  distributors  shown  in  this  plate,  the 
wood  being  employed  for  plow  beams  and  handles. 


PLATE  XVIII 


Wood-using  Industries  of  ISTorth  Carolina 


79 


the  combined  beauty  of  Circassian  walnut  and  mahogany,  and  yet  it 
possesses  a distinctive  character  peculiar  to  no  other  wood. 

Table  35  shows  the  total  amount  of  each  kind  of  wood  used  by  the 
fixture  manufacturers  of  ISTorth  Carolina  in  1919.  Of  the  2,216,500 
board  feet  consumed,  nearly  85  per  cent  was  supplied  from  sources  within 
the  State.  Fixture  manufacturers,  like  many  others  using  home-grown 
timber,  should  also  be  vitally  interested  in  forest  conservation  looking 
to  the  State’s  future  timber  supply. 


Table  35. — Wood  Used  for  Fixtures  in  Forth  Carolina  in  1919 


Kind  of  Wood 

Quantity 

Average 
Cost  per 
M.  Feet 
F.  O.  B. 
Factory 

Total 

Cost 

Source  of  Supply 

Feet, 
B.  M. 

Per 

Cent 

In 

State 

Outside 

State 

Oak . 

985,000 

44.44 

S 65 .00 

S 64,025 

899,000 

86/00 

Pine,  North  Carolina  

405,000 

18.21 

32.12 

13,010 

355,000 

50,000 

286,500 

12.93 

42.50 

12,176 

286,500 

255,000 

11 .51 

132.50 

33,788 

255,000 

178,000 

8.03 

143  .33 

25,513 

178,000 

30,000 

1.35 

69.00 

2,070 

30,000 

25,000 

1.13 

300 .00 

7,500 

25,000 

20,000 

.90 

35.00 

700 

20,000 

12,000 

.54 

35.00 

420 

12,000 

10,000 

.45 

35.00 

350 

10,000 

10,000 

85 .00 

850 

10,000 

Totals. _ . 

2,216,500 

100.00 

S 72 .37 

$ 160,402 

1,877,500 

339,000 

Agricultural  Implements. — The  articles  produced  by  manufacturers 
engaged  in  this  industry  consist  of  the  various  tools  and  machinery  em- 
ployed by  farmers  in  the  preparation  and  tilling  of  the  soil,  the  planting 
of  seed,  and  the  gathering  or  harvesting  of  crops.  Among  such  are 
threshers,  harvesters,  drills,  grain  cradles,  harrows,  cultivators,  ensilage 
cutters,  hay  ladders,  hay  presses,  manure  spreaders,  corn  planters,  mow- 
ing machines,  hay  rakes,  plows,  and  binders.  In  ISTorth  Carolina  this 
is  perhaps  one  of  the  least  important  among  the  various  wood-using 
industries,  as  evidenced  by  the  fact  that  of  the  several  hundred  firms 
that  furnished  the  data  on  which  this  report  is  based,  only  four  were 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  any  of  the  commodities  mentioned  above. 
Furthermore,  the  total  quantity  of  wood  used  was  less  than  one  million 
feet,  board  measure,  all  of  which  was  home-grown. 

ISTorth  Carolina  pine  ranked  first  among  the  woods  used  and  con- 
tributed over  65  per  cent  of  the  total.  Oak,  the  only  other  wood  reported 
in  any  quantity,  occupied  second  place.  Table  36  shows  the  quantity 
of  the  different  woods  used  by  the  industry,  the  average  price  of  each 
per  1,000  feet,  board  measure,  f.  o.  b.  factory,  and  the  total  cost. 


80 


Wood-using  Industries  of  Worth  Carolina 


Table  36. — Wood  Used  for  Agricultural  Implements  in  North,  Carolina  in  1919 


Kind  of  Wood 

Quantity 

Average 
Cost  per 
M.  Feet 
F.  O.  B. 
F actory 

Total 

Cost 

Source  of  Supply 

Feet, 
B.  M. 

Per 

Cent 

In 

State 

Outside 

State 

Pine,  North  Carolina  

627.000 
131,500 

1,00,0 

1,000 

202.000 

65.14 
13.67 
.10 
.10 
20 .99 

S 37 .44 
47.50 

35.00 

18.00 
55.00 

% 23,472 

6,246 
35 
18 

11,110 

627.000 
131,500 

1,000 

1,000 

202.000 

Gum,  black 

Totals 

962,500 

100 .00 

S 42 .47 

S 40,881 

962,500 

Miscellaneous. — It  lias  been  the  custom  of  the  Forest  Service  in  pre- 
paring reports  of  this  kind  to  refrain  from  including  in  them  any  in- 
formation that  would  be  likely  to  reveal  the  operations  of  individual 
firms.  Therefore,  whenever  reports  were  received  from  less  than  three 
firms  engaged  in  the  same  industry,  the  data  was  placed  under  the  head- 
ing “Miscellaneous.”  This  practice  has  been  followed  in  this  report  and 
the  information  presented  in  this  chapter  covers  the  activities  of  six 
different  establishments  representative  of  as  many  separate  industries. 

Table  37  shows  the  quantity  of  wood  used  by  the  factories  referred 
to  above.  Oak,  which  in  point  of  consumption  occupied  first  place, 
was  used  in  the  manufacture  of  insulator  pins  and  brackets  and  for 
parts  of  reed  organs.  Worth  Carolina  pine,  which  ranked  second,  was 
also  employed  in  the  manufacture  of  reed  organs  and  for  excelsior,  wood 
wool,  and  wash  boards.  Yellow  poplar  and  red  gum  contributed  the 
raw  material  used  in  the  manufacture  of  butter  tubs,  while  kalmia 
(mountain  laurel)  was  converted  into  smoking  pipes.  Over  96  per  cent 
of  the  total  quantity  of  wood  consumed  by  this  group  of  industries  was 
cut  from  home-grown  timber. 


Table  37. — Wood  Used  for  Miscellaneous  Commodities  in  North  Carolina 

in  1919 


Kind  of  Wood 

Quantity 

Average 
Cost  per 
M.  Feet 
F.  O.  B. 
Factory 

Total 

Cost 

Source  of  Supply 

Feet, 
B.  M. 

Per 

Cent 

In 

State 

Outside 

State 

961,200 

34.84 

$ 50 .50 

$ 48,541 

961,200 

901,000 

32.66 

15.00 

13,515 

901,000 

761,300 

27.60 

23.50 

17,891 

761,300 

100,000 

3.63 

70.00 

7,000 

100,000 

20,000 

.73 

50.00 

1,000 

20,000 

15,000 

.54 

44.00 

660 

15,000 

Totals 

2,758,500 

100 .00 

S 32.12 

$ 88,607 

2,658,500 

100,000 

Wood-using  Industries  oe  Horth  Carolina 


SI 


HG4 


Plate  No.  33 — The  evolution  of  smoking  pipe.  Mountain  laurel  is  the  wood  used  for  pipes  by 
the  North  Carolina  factories  engaged  in  this  industry. 


6 


PART  IV 


THE  USES  OF  WOOD  BY  NORTH  CAROLINA  MANUFACTURERS 

The  uses  for  which  the  various  woods  previously  described  were  em- 
ployed by  the  North  Carolina  wood-consuming  factories  in  1919  are 


shown  in  the  following  list : 

Backing,  show-case 
Backs,  seat 

Boxes,  automobile  seat 
Bows,  vehicle  top 
Chair  parts 
Cotton  planter  parts 
Counters,  store 
Doors 

Drop  gates,  wagon 
Fertilizer  distributor  parts 
Fingers,  grain  cradles 
Fixtures,  exterior  work 
Foot  boards,  automobile 
Frames,  automobile  body 
Frames,  buggy 
Frames,  carriage  bodies 
Frames,  drays 
Frames,  wagon  bodies 
Frames,  farm  machinery 
Furniture,  case  goods 
Gear  parts,  vehicle 
Handles 

Handles,  contractor’s  shovels 
Handles,  grubbing  hoes 
Handles,  hay  fork 
Handles,  hoe 
Handles,  long  shovel 
Handles,  mallet 


Ash 

Handles,  pitchfork 

Handles,  rake 

Handles,  small  tools 

Handles,  spade 

Hay  beds,  farm  wagon 

Head  blocks,  wagon 

Hubs,  wheelbarrow 

Hay  ladders,  farm  wagons 

Moulding,  window 

Neck  yokes 

Panels,  wagon  bodies 

Partitions,  store  and  office 

Peanut  picker  parts 

Peanut  planter  parts 

Posts,  chair 

Push  cart  bodies 

Rungs,  plow 

Rungs,  ladder 

Running  boards,  automobile 

Shafts,  light  vehicle 

Show-cases 

Sides,  wagon  bodies 

Side  pillars,  light  delivery  wagons 

Snathes,  grain  cradle 

Tubs,  butter 

Trucks,  tobacco 

Trucks,  factory 

Trucks,  warehouse 


Astragals,  folding  door 
Backing,  mirror 
Backing,  furniture 
Backing,  fixture 
Balusters 
Blinds,  window 
Boards,  drain 
Boards,  ironing 
Cabinets,  medicine 
Cabinets,  kitchen 
Casket  cases 


Basswood 

Casing 

Clothes  driers 
Drawer  sides,  furniture 
Fixtures,  hidden  work 
Furniture,  hidden  work 
Moulding,  picture 
Moulding,  house  interior  trim 
Panels,  door 

Partitions,  furniture  drawers 
Sash,  window 

Store  and  office  fixtures,  interior  work 


Wood-using  Industries  of  North  Carolina 


83 


Arms,  chair 
Backing,  bureaus 
Backing,  desk 
Backing,  mirror 
Backs,  chair 
Bobbins 

Bottoms,  drawer 
Book  shelves 
Cabinets,  medicine 
Chairs,  stepladder 


Arms,  chair 
Axle  caps 
Backs,  chair 
Back  posts,  chair 
Backing,  furniture 
Balusters,  stair 
Benches,  piano 
Bookcases 
Book  racks 

Bottoms,  automobile  seat 
Bottoms,  carriage  bodies 
Bottoms,  wagon 
Bottoms,  factory  trucks 
Bottoms,  warehouse  trucks 
Brackets,  stair 
Brackets,  plate  rail 
Bureaus 

Cabinets,  medicine 
Cabinets,  instrument 
Cabinets,  music 
Casing,  window 
Casing,  door 
China  closets 
Costumers 
Davenports 
Doors 
Dowells 

Drawer  bottoms 
Drawer  sides 
Drawer  slides 
Fixtures,  curtain 
Fixtures,  office 


Backing,  mirror 
Backing,  furniture 
Bins,  kitchen  cabinets 
Bottoms,  drawers 


Beech 

Cupboards,  kitchen 
Loom  parts 
Moulding,  bed 
Posts,  chair 
Rounds,  chair 
Seats,  chair 
Sides,  drawer 
Slides,  drawer 
Stools 

Tops,  kitchen  table 
Birch 

Fixtures,  store 
Flooring 

Frames,  furniture 
Furniture,  case  goods 
Hubs,  buggy  wheel 
Leaves,  table 
Moulding,  picture 
Moulding,  house  interior  trim 
Panels,  door 
Panels,  furniture 
Partitions,  office 
Partitions,  drawer 
Parlor  furniture,  frames 
Rails,  stair 
Risers,  stair 
Rockers,  chair 
Rounds,  chair 
Sash 

Seats,  chair 

Screens,  window  and  door 
Shelves,  book 
Show-cases 
Slides,  table 
Stands,  flower 

Store  and  office  fixtures,  exterior 

Tables,  library 

Tables,  sewing 

Tabouretts 

Tops,  case  goods 

Wainscoting 

Wagon  boxes 

Wardrobes 

Buckeye 

Core  stock,  furniture  panels 
Cupboards,  kitchen 
Outer  boxes,  casket  and  coffin 
Tops,  kitchen  table 


84 


Wood-using  Industries  of  North  Carolina 


Bannisters,  porch 
Brackets,  porch 
Columns,  porch 
Cornice  work 

Backing,  bureau 
Backing,  desk 
Backing,  dresser 
Bos  shooks 
Boses,  plant 
Boses,  tin  plate 
Boses,  tobacco 
Bureaus,  hidden  work 
Caskets 

Cabinets,  medicine 

Casing,  door  and  window 

Ceiling 

Chairs,  arm 

Chairs,  desk 

Chairs,  mission 

Chairs,  rocking 

Chests,  hall 

Coffins 

Cores,  veneer 
Couch  frames 
Counters,  store 


Boses,  bottle 

Boses,  butter 

Boses,  cracker 

Boses,  creamery  shipping 

Boses,  plant 

Boses,  plug  tobacco 


Cedar 

House  trim,  esterior 
Newel  posts 
Siding 

Chestnut 

Crates 

Doors 

Drawer  sides 
Footstools 
Frames,  mirror 
Frames,  picture 
Frames,  furniture 
1 Frames,  store  and  office  fistures 
Interior  finish,  house 
Kitchen  cabinets 
Mantels 
Newel  posts 
Panels,  veneer 
Refrigerators 
Stair  work 

Screens,  door  and  window 

Shelves,  book 

Tables 

Treads,  stair 

Wainscoting 

Washstands 

Cottonwood 

Boxes,  packing 
Box  shooks 
Cases,  soft  drink 
Cases,  egg 
Crating 


Battens,  O.  G.,  barn 

Beams,  pergola 

Bevel  siding 

Blinds 

Boxes,  plant 

Brackets,  porch 

Cases,  casket 

Casing,  door  and  window 

Caskets  and  coffins 

Columns,  porch 

Cornice 

Doors 

Face  brackets 
Fence  pickets 


Cypress 

Frames,  door  and  window 
Frieze  railing,  porch 
Gable  ornaments 
Greenhouse,  woodwork 
Lattice  work 
Moulding,  drip  cap 
Moulding,  porch 
Moulding,  screen 
Moulding,  stair 
Railing,  outside  stair 
Railing,  porch 
Sash,  hotbed 
Screens,  porch 
Screens,  door  and  window 


Wood-using  Industeies  of  iSToeth  Caeolina 


85 


Siding 

Subframes,  hotbed 

Sills,  window 

Thresholds,  porch  door 

Spindles,  porch 

Window  stool 

Axles,  wagon 

Dogwood 

Shuttles 

Elm 

Hubs,  wagon  wheel 

Bent  parts,  automobile  body 

Hubs,  wheelbarrow 

Bows,  automobile  top 

Hounds,  light  vehicles 

Eveners* 

Reaches,  light  vehicle 

Floor  boards,  automobile 

Running  boards,  automobile 

Frames,  automobile  body 

Seat  frames,  automobile 

Frames,  horse-drawn  vehicle  bodies  Singletrees 

Hubs,  carriage  wheel 

Yokes,  neck 

• 

Gum,  Black 

Backing,  furniture 

Crates,  berry 

Baskets,  fruit 

Crates,  bottle 

Baskets,  grape 

Cleats,  box 

Baskets,  split 

Dishes,  lard 

Baskets,  vegetable 

Fertilizer  distributor  parts 

Barrels,  veneer 

Handles,  broom 

Berry  cups 

Hoops,  veneer  package 

Blocks,  hub 

Hubs,  buggy  wheel 

Boxes,  tin  ware 

Hubs,  wagon  wheel 

Boxes,  bottle 

Hubs,  wheelbarrow 

Box  shooks 

Mauls 

Brake  blocks 
Backs,  chair 

Gum,  Red 

Chiffoniers 

Backing,  furniture 

Church  pews 

Backing,  case  goods 

Coffins 

Bannisters,  stair 

Colonnades 

Baskets,  fruit 

Commodes 

Baskets,  vegetable 

Costumers 

Bedsteads 

Crating 

Boxes,  cracker 

Cupboard  doors 

Box  shooks 

Doors 

Bureaus 

Drawer  bottoms 

Cabinets,  medicine 

Dressing  tables 

Cabinets,  music 

Frames,  chair 

Cases,  casket 

Frames,  door 

Cases,  clock 

Frames,  dresser 

Cases,  sample 

Frames,  window  and  door 

Cases,  shipping 

Front  doors,  house 

Casing,  door  and  window 

House  interior  trim 

Caskets 

Humidors 

Chairs,  rocking 

Mantels 

Chairs,  dining  room 

Mirror  doors 

86 


Wood-using  Industries  of  North  Carolina 


Moulding,  bed 
Moulding,  picture 
Panels,  furniture 
Plate  rails 
Posts,  bed 
Posts,  dresser 
Reed  organs 


Boxes,  glassware 
Boxes,  cracker 
Boxes,  packing 
Boxes,  canned  goods 
Box  shooks 

Axles,  wagon 
Axle  caps,  buggy 
Bows,  automobile  top 
Carts,  dump 

Cross  bars,  buggy  shafts 
Doubletrees 
Eveners 
Felloes,  wheel 
Fifth  wheel  bars 
Fifth  wheel  circles 
Flooring,  motor  truck 
Furniture  dowels 
Gear  parts,  vehicle 
Handles,  axe 
Handles,  adze 

Handles,  blacksmith’s  hammer 
Handles,  claw  hammer 
Handles,  cant  hook 
Handles,  chisel 
Handles,  grub  hoe 
Handles,  hatchet 
Handles,  machinist’s  hammer 
Heads,  mallet 


Show-cases 

Store  and  office  fixtures 
Tables,  library 
Telephone  stands 
Telephone  booths 
Wardrobes 
Washstands 

Hemlock 

Cases,  packing 
Cracker  boxes 
Crates,  bottle 
Crating  stock 

Hickory 

Hounds,  light  vehicles 
Head  blocks,  light  vehicle 
Loom  parts 
Neck  yokes 
Picker  sticks 

Pole  fuchles,  light  vehicle 

Poles,  buggy 

Porch  furniture 

Reaches,  buggy 

Ribs,  wagon  top 

Rims,  automobile  wheel 

Rounds,  chair 

Rounds,  ladder 

Split  bottom  chairs 

Shackle  bars,  light  vehicle 

Singletrees 

Spokes,  buggy  wheel 

Spokes,  automobile  wheel 

Spring  bars,  light  vehicle 

Spring  blocks,  wagon 

Sweep  sticks,  loom 

Trucks,  warehouse 

Wheelbarrows 


Insulator  pins 
Loom  parts 

Arms,  chair 
Back  posts,  chair 
Bedsteads 
Bureaus 


Kalmia  (Mountain  Laurel) 
Smoking  pipes 

Locust 

Telephone  brackets 

Mahogany 

Book  cases 
Book  racks 
Cabinets,  magazine 
Cabinets,  music 


Wood-using  Industries  oe  jSTorth  Carolina 


87 


Cabinets,  smokers 
Cases,  dental 
Caskets 

Chairs,  rocking 
Chests,  clothes 
Chiffoniers 
Desk  chairs 
Frames,  furniture 
Frames,  mirror 
Panels,  furniture 

Arms,  chair 
Axles,  wagon 
Back  posts,  chair 
Beds,  warehouse  trucks 
Bobbins 

Bolsters,  wagon 
Bottoms,  basket 
Bottoms,  drawer 
Boxes,  cutlery 
Boxes,  buggy 
Boxes,  automobile  seat 
Boxes,  knife 
Box  shooks 
Bureaus 

Cabinets,  medicine 
Cases,  shipping 
Chairs,  camp 
Chairs,  rocking 
Chair  seats,  plywood 
Chair  frames 

Cogs,  flour  mill  machinery 

Crates 

Dowels 

Eveners 

Flooring 

Frames,  box  mattress 


Altars,  church 

Altars,  lodge  room 

Arms,  chair 

Bedsteads 

Buffets 

Baseboards 

Bedposts 

Bed  rails 

Boxes 

Box  shooks 

Buggy  bodies,  bottoms 


Show-cases,  exterior 
Stands,  plant 
Tables,  card 
Tables,  parlor 
Tables,  sewing 
Trays,  sewing 
Tops,  table 
Veneer  panels 
Wardrobes 

Maple 

Frames,  corn  shelter 
Frames,  cot 

Frames,  farm  machinery 

Friction  blocks 

Gear  parts,  farm  machinery 

Guide  strips,  elevator 

Knobs,  door 

Knobs,  furniture 

Legs,  furniture 

Packers,  flour  mill  machinery 

Partitions,  drawer 

Parts,  hay  press 

Posts,  bed 

Posts,  chair 

Posts,  dresser 

Bockers,  chair 

Rungs,  chair 

Seat  boxes,  automobile 

Slides,  extension  table 

Stops,  drawer 

Straw  carriers 

Swings,  porch 

Tables,  kitchen 

Thresholds 

Trucks,  factory 

Wheelbarrows 

Oak 

Bureaus 

Cabinets,  music 

Casing,  door  and  window 

Caskets 

Chairs 

Chairs,  dining 
Chairs,  rocking 
Chairs,  mission 
Chiffoniers,  exterior  work 
China  closets 
Church  altars 


88 


Wood-using  Industries  of  Xortii  Carolina 


Church  pews 
Cider  presses 
Coffins 
Commodes 
Couch  frames 
Davenport  frames 
Desks,  office 
Doors 
Drays 
Dressers 
Dump  carts 
Felloes,  wagon 
Flooring 
Frames,  vehicle 
Frames,  furniture 
Fixtures,  exterior 
Hounds,  wagon 
Hubs,  wagon 
Insulator  brackets 
Interior  finish,  house 
Kitchen  cabinets 
Landing  posts 
Lounge  frames 
Mantels 
Newel  posts 
Panels,  furniture  sides 
Pilasters,  furniture 
Pilasters,  mantels 
Plow  beams 
Plow  handles 
Plug  tobacco  boxes 
Plow  rungs 

Pine, 

Balusters,  porch 

Balusters,  stair 

Baseboards,  house  trim 

Base  moulding 

Battens,  O.  G.,  barn 

Beams,  elevator 

Bevel  siding,  house 

Blinds,  window 

Box  shooks 

Brackets,  porch 

Cabinet  work 

Cars,  elevator 

Cases,  tobacco 

Casing,  door  and  window 

Ceiling 

Cleats,  elevator 

Cornice,  house  construction 


Pole  steps,  telephone 
Reed  organs,  exterior  work 
Road  carts 
Sash 

Sills,  wagon  bodies 
Sideboards 
Singletrees 
Spokes 

Spring  bars,  buggy 
Stair  balusters 
Stair  rails 
Stair  risers 
Stair  treads 
Stair  work 
Stands,  bedroom 
Stretchers,  table 
Tables,  extension 
Tables,  library 
Table  leaves 
Table  slides 
Table  tops 
Telephone  boxes 
Thresholds 

Tobacco  machinery  rnrts 
Toilet  seats 
Tree  blocks 
Truck  parts,  cars 
Wagon  bodies,  framework 
Wagon  gear  parts 
Wagon  tongues 
Wash  stands 
Whiffletrees 

Longleaf 
Crates,  cabbage 
Derricks,  well 
Elevators,  freight 
Flooring,  house  construction 
Footing  pieces,  elevator 
Frames,  couch 
Frames,  freight  elevator 
Frames,  window  and  door 
Interior  finish,  house  construction 
Lattice 

Moulding,  bed,  house  construction 
Moulding,  brick,  house  construction 
Moulding,  cap,  house  construction 
Moulding,  cove,  house  construction 
Moulding,  crown,  house  construction 
Moulding,  drip  cap,  house  construction 
Moulding,  picture 


Wood-using  Industbies  of  N’obth  Caeolina 


89 


Moulding,  plaster 
Moulding,  quarter  round 
Newel  posts 
Nosing,  house  trim 
Partition 

Platforms,  elevator 
Poles,  wagon 
Porch  columns 
Porch  newels 
Risers,  stair 

Pine, 

Balusters 
Baseboards 
Basket  bottoms 
Blinds 
Boses 

Boses,  dry  goods 

Bos  cleats 

Bos  shooks 

Cabbage  crates 

Cabinets 

Casing 

Ceiling 

Clapboards 

Coffins 

Conduits 

Cornices 

Crates,  vegetable 
Crates,  fruit 
Cross-arms 
Cultivators 
Doors 

Door  frames 
Escelsior 

Fistures,  store  and  office 
Flooring 

Flooring,  factory 
Furniture  backs 
Furniture,  veneer  cores 
Grain  doors 
Guide  strips,  elevator 

Bins,  flour  mill  machinery 
Bins,  grain 
Grain  shutes 


Sash 

Screens,  window  and  door 

Sheathing 

Siding 

Sills,  door  and  window 
Thresholds 
Treads,  stair 
Wainscoting 
Window  apron 
Window  stool 

North  Carolina 
Harrows 
Hoppers 
Interior  trim 
Kitchen  safes 
Landing  posts 
Lattice 
Mouldings 
Newel  posts 
Outer  cases,  caskets 
Panels,  furniture  sides 
Partitions 
Pilasters 
Porch  columns 
Poles,  wagon 
Poultry  coop  bottoms 
Roofers 
Sample  cases 
Sash 

Screens,  door 
Screens,  window 
Siding,  house 
Stair  rails 
Stairways 
Stepping 
Store  fronts 
Yeneer  boxes 
Truck  bodies 
Wagon  panels 
' Window  and  door  frames 

Pine,  Sugab 

Hoppers,  feed  mill 
Panel  sides,  mill  machinery 
Troughs,  ensilage  cutters 


Backing,  furniture 
Backing,  mirror 
Balusters,  porch 


Pine,  White 

Beds,  light  delivery  wagon 
Bins,  flour  mill  machinery 
Bins,  grain 


90 


Wood-using  Industries  of  North  Carolina 


Blinds,  window 

Boxes,  packing 

Boxes,  plant 

Boxes,  tobacco 

Box  shooks 

Brackets,  porch 

Capping,  sink,  house  trim 

Cases,  casket  and  coffin 

Cases,  leaf  tobacco 

Cases,  sample 

Casing,  door  and  window 

Chests,  clothes 

Cornice 

Crating 

Doors 

Drain  boards,  sink 
Floor  boards,  automobile 
Frames,  window  and  door 
Gable  ornaments 
Hoppers,  plow  and  feed 


Balusters 
Backs,  dresser 
Bands,  berry  basket 
Bedsteads,  white  enamel 
Berry  baskets 
Blinds 

Boxes,  bottle 

Boxes,  cracker 

Boxes,  cutlery 

Boxes,  plug  tobacco 

Boxes,  wagon 

Cabinets 

Cases,  casket 

Casing,  door  and  window 

Ceiling 

Cigar  boxes 

Clapboards 

Coffins 

Cores,  veneer 
Cornice  work 
Crating 
Doors 

Doors,  poultry' coops 
Drawer  bottoms 
Drawer  sides 
Fixtures,  store  and  office 
Frames,  upholstered  furniture 
Interior  finish,  house 


Lining,  dumb  waiter  shafts 

Lattice 

Mantels 

Mirror  doors 

Moulding,  house  trim 

Panels,  stair  work 

Porch  columns 

Porch  railings 

Risers,  stair 

Running  boards,  automobile 
Sash,  window 
Sash,  hotbed 
Seat  boxes,  automobile 
Screens,  door  and  window 
Shelves,  dumb  waiter 
Sides,  wagon  bodies 
Siding,  house 
Spindles,  porch 
Wheels,  water  mill 
Window  stools 

Poplar,  Yellow 

Kitchen  cabinets 

Kitchen  safes 

Kitchen  tables 

Lining,  light  wagon  bodies 

Lounge  frames 

Mantels,  white  enamel 

Mirror  backing 

Moulding 

Packing  cases 

Panels,  automobile  bodies 

Panels,  delivery  wagon  tops 

Panels,  furniture  sides 

Panels,  interior  house  trim 

Partition 

Pilasters,  mantels 

Plug  tobacco  boxes 

Porch  blinds 

Porch  columns 

Porch  newels 

Porch  railing 

Poultry  coop  bottoms 

Reed  organs,  interior  parts 

Running  boards,  automobile 

Sample  cases 

Sash,  window 

Seat  boxes,  automobile 

Shelves 

Siding,  house 


Wood-using  Industries  of  jSTorth  Carolina 


91 


Stair  risers 

Wagon  beds 

Traveling  cases 

Wardrobes 

Wagon  bodies 

Window  frames 

Sycamore 

Backing,  Bureau 

Frames,  fixture 

Backing,  mirror 

Mantels 

Bottoms,  drawer 

Seat  frames,  chair 

Cabinet  work 

Sides,  drawer 

Chairs,  kitchen 

Slides,  drawer 

Frames,  kitchen  cabinet 

Tables,  kitchen 

Frames,  furniture 

Walnut,  Black 

Altars,  church 

Footstools 

Arms,  chair 

Frames,  mirror 

Bedsteads 

Furniture,  lodge  and  church 

Benches,  piano 

Panels,  desk 

Bible  stands 

Pews,  church 

Bookcases,  exterior 

Rockers,  chair 

Bureaus,  exterior 

Screens,  fire 

Cabinets,  magazine 

Settees 

Cabinets,  music 

Sewing  tables 

Cabinets,  phonograph 

Tables,  dining  room 

Caskets 

Tables,  library 

Chairs 

Tables,  parlor 

Cheval  mirrors 

Tables,  tea 

Chiffoniers,  exterior 

Trays,  serving 

Coffins 

Wall  cases 

WOOD-USING  FACTORIES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA 

The  following  is  a list  of  the  wood-using  factories  of  ISTorth  Carolina 
which  supplied  the  data  upon  which  this  report  is  based.  It  will  he 
noticed  that  the  names  of  several  establishments  appear  under  more 
than  one  industry,  the  reason  for  this  being  that  they  produce  more  than 
one  class  of  wooden  commodity.  This  list  is  arranged  to  correspond 
with  the  industries  described  in  the  preceding  pages : 

Agricultural  Implements 


Asheboro  Wheelbarrow  Company Asheboro 

Cole  Manufacturing  Company Charlotte 

S.  B.  Carter _ Elizabeth  City 

Gardner  Manufacturing  Company Greenville 

A.  G.  Cox  Manufacturing  Company Winterville 

Boxes  and  Crates 

Interstate  Cooperage  Company Belbaven 

Jarman  Lumber  Company. ....Burlington 

Styers  Sash  and  Door  Shop : Cberryville 

D.  L.  Boney Clinton 


92 


Wood-using  Industries  of  North  Carolina 


Carolina  Cross-Arm  Company Elkin 

West  Lumber  and  Box  Company Fayetteville 

Warlieh  Lumber  Company Gilkey 

Roberson,  Strader  & Company Greensboro 

C.  F.  Hany Grover 

Hutton  and  Bourbonnais  Company Hickory 

• Zove  Box  and  Crate  Company High  Point 

Selwood  Manufacturing  Company Hobgood 

Morehead  City  Manufacturing  Company Morehead  City 

John  L.  C.  Miller Mt.  Pleasant 

Jeffreys  Myers  Manufacturing  Company Oxford 

Halifax  Builders’  Supply  Company Roanoke  Rapids 

The  Church  Lumber  Company. Ronda 

Yadkin  Valley  Mill  and  Lumber  Company _ Ronda 

Makepeace  Box  and  Lumber  Company Sanford 

C.  M.  Wall  & Son ' Southmont 

Stantonsburg  Lumber  Company Stantonsburg 

Boyce  Lumber  Company Statesville 

Statesville  Lumber  Company Statesville 

Alexander  Lumber  Company Taylorsville 

Hughes  and  Peace  Lumber  Company Thomasville 

Carolina  Lumber  Company Walnut  Cove 

Mengel  Box  Company Winston-Salem 

J.  E.  Shelton  Box  and  Lumber  Company Winston-Salem 


Caskets  and  Coffins 

Burns  Casket  Company 

National  Casket  Company , 

Burlington  Coffin  Company 

Charlotte  Casket  Company - 

Rankin  Coffin  and  Casket  Company 

Rockwell  Furniture  Company 

Atlantic  Coffin  and  Casket  Company 

Rose  Hill  Coffin  Factory 

Richardson  Manufacturing  Company 

Hearnes  Brothers  and  Company 

The  Turner-White  Coffin  Company 


Chairs 

American  Bentwood  Chair  Company Asheboro 

Asheboro  Chair  Company Asheboro 

Piedmont  Chair  Company Asheboro 

Randolph  Chair  Company Asheboro 

Coleridge  Manufacturing  Company Coleridge 

Denton  Chair  Company Denton 

Hickory  Chair  Manufacturing  Company Hickory 

Barnes  Manufacturing  Company. —High  Point 

Southern  Chair  Company High  Point 

Thomasville  Chair  Manufacturing  Company -....High  Point 

Tomlinson  Chair  Manufacturing  Company. High  Point 

Johnson  Chair  Company Julian 


Asheboro 

Asheville 

Burlington 

Charlotte 

High  Point 

Rockwell 

Rose  Hill 

Rose  Hill 

Sparta 

Whitakers 

Winston-Salem 


Wood-using  Industries  of  North  Carolina 


93 


Bernhardt  Chair  Company — Lenoir 

Carolina  Chair  Company ~ Lenoir 

Ethel  Chair  Company Lenoir 

Lenoir  Chair  Manufacturing  Company Lenoir 

Hoover  Chair  Company _ Lexington 

Lexington  Chair  Company Lexington 

Liberty  Chair  Company Liberty 

Hanes  Chair  and  Table  Company Mocksville 

Bent  Oak  Chair  Manufacturing  Company— Siler  City 

High  Point  Bending  and  Chair  Company _ Siler  City 

Statesville  Chair  Company Statesville 

Standard  Chair  Company Thomasville 


Elevators  and  Machine  Construction 


Alexander  and  Garsel Charlotte 

Liddell  Company Charlotte 

Moffatt  Machinery  Manufacturing  Company Charlotte 

The  Park  Manufacturing  Company Charlotte 

Grover  Gin  Company Grover 

W.  C.  Meadows  Mill  Company North  Wilkesboro 

E.  V.  Williams  Company North  Wilkesboro 

New  Williams  Mill  Company North  Wilkesboro 

R.  C.  Meadows  Mill  Manufacturing  Company Pores  Knob 

Blue  Ridge  Mill  Company . Roaring  River 

Briggs-Shaffeur  _ Winston-Salem 


Fixtures 

H.  M.  Wade  Manufacturing  Company Charlotte 

Moss  Cabinet  Shop Hickory 

Myrtle  Desk  Company High  Point 

Cochran  Hardwood  Manufacturing  Company Lincolnton 

Raleigh  Manufacturing  Company Raleigh 

Allright  Manufacturing  Company Rural  Hall 

Dellinger  Show  Case  Company Statesville 

Statesville  Show  Case  Company Statesville 

Kwick-Bath  Manufacturing  Corporation Wilson 

Fruit  and  Vegetable  Packages 

Aberdeen  Crate  and  Box  Company Aberdeen 

Patten  Package  Company..— Calypso 

Rhaney  and  Rector  Company Drexel 

Foreman-Derriekson  Veneer  Company Elizabeth  City 

Southern  Roller  Stave  and  Heading  Company ..........Elizabeth  City 

N.  J.  Brown  and  Company r George 

Empire  Manufacturing  Company Goldsboro 

Utility  Manufacturing  Company Goldsboro 

Cecil  Manufacturing  Company High  Point 

O.  E.  and  C.  A.  Bivins Hillsboro 

Eureka  Lumber  Company Washington 

T.  R.  Peppers _ Winston-Salem 

Sheppard  Veneer  Company Winston-Salem 


94 


Wood-using  Industries  of  ISTorth  Carolina 


Furniture 

Albemarle  Mantel  Company 

Carolina  Wood  Products  Company 

Styers  Sasli  and  Door  Shop 

Home  Table  Furniture  Company.. : 

Drexel  Furniture  Company 

Elkin  Furniture  Company 

Newberry  Brothers  & Cowell 

Goldsboro  Furniture  Manufacturing  Company 

Warlich  & Sherril  Company 

Melton-Rhodes  Company,  Inc 

Standard  Table  Company 

Sterling  Furniture  Company 

C.  F.  Hany 

Unagusta  Manufacturing  Company 

Waynesville  Furniture  Company 

Hickory  Cabinet  and  Manufacturing  Company- 

Martin  Furniture  Company 

Southern  Desk  Company 

Alma  Furniture  Company 

Continental  Furniture  Company. 

Dalton  Furniture  Company 

J.  F.  and  Arthur  Ellison 

Giant  Furniture  Company... 

Globe  Parlor  Furniture  Company 

Ideal  Table  Company 

Kearns  Furniture  Company 

Keystone  Cabinet  Company 

J.  A.  Lindsay 

Marsh  Furniture  Company 

Tate  Furniture  Company 

Tomlinson  Chair  Manufacturing  Company 

Union  Furniture  Company 

Welch  Furniture  Company 

Wrenn  Columbia  Furniture  Company.. 

Zone  Box  and  Crate  Company 

Kernersville  Furniture  Manufacturing  Company. 

Ring  Furniture  Company 

King  Manufacturing  Company 

Caldwell  Furniture  Company 

Harper  Furniture  Company 

Lenoir  Furniture  Corporation.. 

Atlas  Furniture  Company 

Dixie  Furniture  Company 

Elk  Furniture  Company 

Foster  Furniture  Company 

Catawba  Furniture  Company 

Drexel  Furniture  Company 

McDowell  Furniture  Company 

White  Furniture  Company 


Albemarle 

Asheville 

Cherryville 

..China  Grove 

Drexel 

Elkin 

Dunn 

Goldsboro 

Granite  Falls 

Greensboro 

Greensboro 

Greensboro 

Grover 

Hazelwood 

Hazelwood 

Hickory 

Hickory 

Hickory 

....High  Point 

High  Point 

....High  Point 
....High  Point 
....High  Point 
....High  Point 
....High  Point 
....High  Point 
....High  Point 
..  .High  Point 
. ..High  Point 
....High  Point 
....High  Point 
....High  Point 
....High  Point 
..  .High  Point 

High  Point 

..Kernersville 

-Kernersville 

King 

Lenoir 

Lenoir 

Lenoir 

Lexington 

Lexington 

Lexington 

Liberty 

Marion 

Marion 

Marion 

Mebane 


Wood-tjsing  Industries  of  Horth  Carolina  95 

J.  H.  Myers —..Monroe 

Mooresville  Furniture  Company Mooresville 

Morganton  Furniture  Company Morganton 

Banner  Manufacturing  Company Mt.  Airy 

National  Furniture  Company Mt.  Airy 

Mt.  Airy  Furniture  Company Mt.  Airy 

Mt.  Airy  Mantel  and  Table  Company Mt.  Airy 

John  L.  C.  Miller 1 Mt.  Pleasant 

Valley  River  Lumber  Company Murphy 

Forest  Furniture  Company .North  Wilkesboro 

Oak  Furniture  Company North  Wilkesboro 

John  R.  Hagaman Patterson 

Fitts-Crabtree  Manufacturing  Company Sanford 

High  Point  Bending  and  Chair  Company , ...Siler  City 

Carolina  Parlor  Furniture  Company ..Statesville 

Imperial  Furniture  Manufacturing  Company Statesville 

Statesville  Furniture  Company Statesville 

Statesville  Wood  Products  Company Statesville 

Forsyth  Dining  Room  Furniture  Company Winston-Salem 

Forsyth  Furniture  Company. Winston-Salem 

B.  F.  Huntley  Furniture  Company Winston-Salem 

Hyatt  & Company Waynesville 

Keller  Manufacturing  Company Waynesville 

J.  C.  Money Tadkinville 

Handles 

A.  W.  Vickory  & Company Bonlee 

Craven  Brothers Boonville 

Bryson  City  Handle  Company Bryson  City 

J.  D.  Pitts Glen  Alpine 

Crawford  Spoke  and  Handle  Company _ Mebane 

Jesse  Lovell Pilot  Mountain 

Fred  R.  Thompson Staley 

Brendle  Handle  Works Wilmington 

Planing  Mill  Products 

Asheboro  Wheelbarrow  Company .Asheboro 

Home  Building  and  Material  Company ....Asheboro 

Jordan  Hampton Blowing  Rock 

Miller  Supply  Company Brevard 

Spoon  & Safford Burlington 

J.  D.  Bush  Lumber  Company Cary 

Lee  Lumber  Company Cary 

Beam  Lumber  Company Charlotte 

Cathey  Lumber  Company Charlotte 

Doggett  Lumber  Company Charlotte 

Hardwood  Manufacturing  Company.  Inc —..Charlotte 

J.  H.  Wearn  & Company. Charlotte 

Styers  Sash  and  Door  Shop Cherryville 

Clinton  Lumber  Company Clinton 

Sampson  Power  and  Planing  Mill  Company Clinton 


96 


Wood-using  Industries  of  Worth  Carolina 


Cary  Lumber  Company.. _.... 

Chatham  Lumber  Company 

Durham  Lumber  Company 

Jackson  Brothers 

Spencer  Lumber  Company,  Inc.. 

Warlich  Lumber  Company 

E.  E.  Bain 

Fuller  Lumber  Company,  Inc 

Oetinger  Lumber  Company 

Pennsylvania  Lumber  Company 

C.  F.  Hany 

J.  D.  Pitts 

Hendersonville  Lumber  Company 

Pace  Lumber  Company 

C.  M.  and  W.  G.  Wilson 

H.  S.  Smith 

Kannapolis  Lumber  Company 

Hines  Brothers  Lumber  Company 

Kent-Coffee  Manufacturing  Company.. 

Lenoir  Manufacturing  Company 

C.  M.  Thompson  Sons 

E.  E.  Wallett 

C.  H.  Fallin  Lumber  Company 

Beaman  Lumber  Company 

Chapman  Lumber  Company 

Payne  and  Decker  Lumber  Company.. 

Dixie  Lumber  Co 

Fitch  & Biggs  Lumber  Company. 

J.  L.  Sheek 

J.  H.  Myers _ 

G.  M.  Tucker 

Mooresville  Furniture  Company.. 

Beasley  & Tesh  Lumber  Company 

John  L.  C.  Miller 

Cherokee  Manufacturing  Company 

The  Pine  Lumber  Company 

Setzer  Lumber  Company 

Wilkesboro  Manufacturing  Company... 

Oxford  Orphanage  Wood  Shop 

C.  D.  Bay  Lumber  Company. 

Job  Hiatt.. 

S.  K.  Harris  & Son 

John  B.  Bogers 

Bichfleld  Lumber  Company 

Sider  & Kluttz 

Halifax  Builders’  Supply  Company 

Bocky  Mount  Woodworking  Company. 

Wilson  Mill  and  Lumber  Company 

Goodman  Lumber  Company 

Graf-Davis-Collett  Company 


Durham 

Durham 

East  Durham 

Fayetteville 

Gastonia 

Gilkey 

Greensboro 

Greensboro 

Greensboro 

Greensboro 

Grover 

Glen  Alpine 

Hendersonville 

Hendersonville 

Hendersonville 

Hickory 

Kannapolis 

Kinston 

Lenoir 

Lenoir 

Lexington 

Littleton 

Madison 

Marion 

Marion 

Marion 

Mebane 

.....Mebane 

Mocksville 

Monroe 

Monroe 

Mooresville 

Mt.  Airy 

Mt.  Pleasant 

Murphy 

New  Bern 

Newton 

North  Wilkesboro 

Oxford 

Oxford 

Pilot  Mountain 

Polkton 

Beidsville 

Bichfleld 

Eockwell 

....Boanoke  Bapids 

Bocky  Mount 

Bural  Hall 

Salisbury 

Salisbury 


Wood-using  Industries  of  ISTorth  Carolina 


97 


Makepeace  Bos  and  Lumber  Company Sanford 

Thompson  Company Shelby 

Boone  Fork  Lumber  Company Shulls  Mills 

Little  River  Lumber  Company Star 

Southern  Timber  and  Lumber  Company. Star 

Boyce  Lumber  Company Statesville 

Statesville  Lumber  Company Statesville 

Stantonsburg  Lumber  Company Stantonsburg 

Alexander  Lumber  Company Taylorsville 

Guilford  Lumber  Manufacturing  Company Troy 

Dan  River  Lumber  Company Walnut  Grove 

Pridgen  Manufacturing  Company Warrenton 

Moss  Planing  Mill  Company Washington 

Hyatt  & Company Waynesville 

Dixon  Lumber  and  Millwork  Company Weldon 

Chadbourn-Bate  Company  Wilmington 

Chadbourn  Lumber  Company _ Wilmington 

Clark-Lynch  Lumber  Company Wilmington 

Hilton  Lumber  Company Wilmington 

Fogle  Brothers  Company Winston-Salem 

Orinoco  Supply  Company Winston-Salem 

The  Phillips  Lumber  Company Winston-Salem 

Yadkinville  Buggy  Company Yadkinville 


Sash,  Doors,  Blinds,  and  General  Mill  Work 


William  W.  Jones Asheville 

Spoon  & Safford Burlington 

John  I.  Barns Clayton 

Styers  Sash  and  Door  Shop Cherryville 

Durham  Lumber  Company East  Durham 

T.  A.  Henry Gastonia 

A.  T.  Griffin  Manufacturing  Company Goldsboro 

Novelty  Lumber  Company Hickory 

J.  R.  Wilson  Lumber  Company Hendersonville 

J.  M.  Beam  & Brother Henry 

Jonesboro  Sash  and  Blind  Company Jonesboro 

Builders  Supply  Manufacturing  Company Lincolnton 

J.  H.  Lineberger  & Son Lincolnton 

Morganton  Manufacturing  and  Trading  Company Morganton 

Neuse  Lumber  Company New  Bern 

Baker-Thompson  Lumber  Company _ Raleigh 

J.  M.  Beam  and  Brother Reepsville 

Builders  Sash  and  Door  Company Rocky  Mount 

Graf-Davis-Collett  Company ....Salisbury 

Sanford  Sash  and  Blind  Company Sanford 

L.  K.  Overcash Statesville 

Guilford  Lumber  Manufacturing  Company Troy 

Dixon  Lumber  and  Millwork  Company Weldon 

The  Aladdin  Company Wilmington 

W.  W.  Simms  Company Wilson 

7 


98 


Wood-using  Industries  oe  ISTorth  Carolina 


Shuttles,  Spools,  and  Bobbins 

J.  Elwood  Cox .Biltmore 

Hickory  Handle  and  Manufacturing  Company Conover 

Ivey  Manufacturing  Company Hickory 

Elwood  Cox  Manufacturing  Company,. High  Point 

Liberty  Picker  Stick  and  Novelty  Company. Liberty 

Novelty  Wood  Works ....Ramseur 

Jordan  Manufacturing  Company Toecane 

Vehicles  and  Vehicle  Pabts 

Aslieboro  Wheelbarrow  Company Aslieboro 

The  Knowles  Manufacturing  Company Biltmore 

Tyson  & Jones  Buggy  Company Carthage 

Charlotte  Wagon  and  Auto  Company Charlotte 

Cotton  States  Wagon  Company.... Charlotte 

T.  A.  Smitherman East  Bend 

Gastonia  Wagon  and  Auto  Company Gastonia 

W.  H.  Piland Gates 

Corbett  Buggy  Company. Henderson 

Carolina  Buggy  Manufacturing  Company.. Henderson 

Piedmont  Wagon  Manufacturing  Company Hickory 

North  Carolina  Wheel  Company High  Point 

W.  G.  Hollowell Hobbs  vide 

Parkers  Wagon  Shop Kelford 

J.  H.  Hampton  Buggy  Company.. Leaksville 

Waters  Buggy  and  Auto  Company New  Bern 

Garman  Wheel  Company Oxford 

C.  R.  Overton ....Powellsville 

Wilson  Mill  and  Lumber  Company Rural  Hall 

Veneer  Products  Company .Smithfield 

Thomasville  Spoke  Works Thomasville 

Washington  Buggy  Company Washington 

Hackney  Brothers  Wilson 

E.  S.  Bail  Carriage  Company Windsor 

George  E.  Nissen  Company Winston-Salem 

S.  J.  Nissen  Company. — Winston-Salem 

J.  C.  Spach  Wagon  Works Winston-Salem 

Winston  Vehicle  Company — Winston-Salem 

J.  C.  Money Yadkinville 

Yadkinville  Buggy  Company..... - Yadkinville 

Miscellaneous 

J.  P.  Rodman.... Clinton 

Blue  Ridge  Locust  Pin  Company..... Didsboro 

Carolina  Cross  Arm  Company Elkin 

Carolina  Woodenware  Company Fayettevdle 

High  Point  Veneer  and  Panel  Company High  Point 

Shipman  Organ  Company High  Point 

Clarence  Call North  Wilkesboro 

Oval  Oak  Manufacturing  Company ...Siler  City 

Putnam  & Parks Spruce  Piue 


PART  V 


PRODUCTION  OF  FOREST  PRODUCTS 

As  previously  stated,  the  information  given  in  this  report  does  not 
include  rough  lumber  or  the  products  of  primary  industries,  such  as 
shingles,  lath,  cooperage,  pulpwood,  etc.  Such  statistical  data  have 
always  been  collected  separately,  either  by  the  Bureau  of  the  Census  or 
the  Forest  Service.  Since  statistics  of  production  of  forest  products 
have  such  an  important  bearing  on  those  of  consumption,  it  was  con- 
sidered advisable  for  purposes  of  reference  and  comparison  to  include  the 
former,  in  so  far  as  they  relate  to  ISTorth  Carolina,  in  this  appendix. 

Lumber. — Although  ISTorth  Carolina,  in  1921,  was  among  the  ten 
leading  states  in  the  production  of  lumber,  she  did  not  occupy  first  place 
in  the  cut  of  any  one  particular  species.  In  the  production  of  chestnut 
lumber,  however,  the  State  ranked  third. 

Table  I given  below  shows  the  rank  according  to  quantity  produced  of 
the  22  woods  cut  for  lumber  in  ISTorth  Carolina  in  1921. 


Table  I. — Production  of  Lumber  in  North  Carolina  in  1921 


Kind  of  Wood 

Quantity 
(FeetB.  M.) 

Average 
Value  per 
M.  Feet 
F.O.B.  Mill 

Total  Value 
F.O.B.  Mill 

Yellow  pine._  _ 

647,845,000 

$ 19.04 

S 12,334,968.80 

Oak 

83,088,000 

23.78 

1,975,832.64 

Spruce 

47,486,000 

27.01 

1,282,596.86 

Chestnut  . ---------  - 

36,806,000 

24.21 

891,073.26 

Red  gum  „ 

26,346,000 

17.38 

457,893.48 

Yellow  poplar _ _ 

18,728,000 

31.56 

591, 055. 68 

Hemlock _ _ _ 

16,894,000 

18.47 

312,032.18 

Cypress. _ _ — _____ 

11,817,000 

27.10 

320,240.70 

Maple  _ _ ____  ____ 

11,209,000 

25.39 

284,596.51 

Tupelo..  _ _ _ __  _ _ 

7,426,000 

15.81 

117,405.06 

Cedar . . ..  . - - 

4,633,000 

41.45 

192,037.85 

Basswood . . _ 

4,058,000 

30.86 

125,229.88 

White  pine ______  __  _ __  _ 

3,360,000 

25.82 

86,755.20 

Hickory  _____  __  _____ 

2,053,000 

26.28 

53,952.84 

Ash 

1,769,000 

35.98 

63,648.62 

Beech  _______  _____  _ __  _ 

1,716.000 

23.93 

41,063.88 

Birch__  _ __  _ 

1,521,000 

31.31 

47, 622.51 

Sycamore.  _ _ __  _ _ 

117,000 

20.80 

2,433.60 

Elm___  __  _ __  _ _ __  ___  _ 

74,000 

26.50 

1,961.00 

Cottonwood  _____  __  __  __ 

65,000 

25.15 

1,634.75 

Walnut _ __  

38,000 

64.41 

2,447.58 

All  others* _ . 

3,966,000 

51.02 

202,345.32 

Totals 

931,015,000 

S 20.83 

•S  19,388,828.20 

‘Includes  buckeye,  chittem,  and  box  elder. 


100 


Wood-using  Industries  of  North  Carolina 


Lath  and  Shingles. — Lath  are  chiefly  a by-product  of  lumber  manufac- 
ture, and  are  cut  from  so  many  kinds  of  timber  that  no  effort  is  made  in 
the  collection  of  such  statistics  to  differentiate  between  species.  They 
are  manufactured  for  the  most  part  from  slabs,  although  large  quantities 
are  also  produced  by  portable  lath  mills  working  in  cut-over  tracts  and 
utilizing  the  small  timber,  crooked  logs,  tops,  and  other  material  left 
behind  the  sawmill.  The  quantity  produced  in  North  Carolina  in  1921 
is  shown  in  Table  II. 

The  bulk  of  the  shingles  produced  in  this  country  are  made  of  cedar, 
principally  the  western  red  cedar  of  the  Pacific  Coast,  although  con- 
siderable quantities  are  cut  from  the  eastern  white  cedar.  Other  woods 
used  are  cypress,  southern  yellow  pine,  and  chestnut.  The  total  pro- 
duction of  shingles  in  North  Carolina  in  1921  is  shown  in  Table  II. 


Table  II. — Production  of  Latli  and  Shingles  in  North  Carolina  in  1921 


Product 

Quantity 

(Pieces) 

Number 
of  Mills 
Reporting 

Equivalent 
in  Feet 
B.  M. 

16.164.000 

46.064.000 

3.233.000 

4.606.000 

36 

Cooperage  Stock. — Cooperage  stock  is  of  two  kinds,  slack  and  tight. 
Slack  cooperage  includes  barrels  intended  for  use  in  the  shipment  of  dry 
products,  such  as  sugar,  flour,  cement,  plaster,  salt,  certain  classes  of 
hardware,  crockery,  etc.  Tight  cooperage  consists  of  barrels  used  as 
containers  of  alcoholic  and  other  liquids.  The  substitution  of  cotton, 
jute,  and  paper  sacks  has  limited  the  demand  for  slack  cooperage  stock, 
especially  in  the  flour,  salt,  cement,  plaster  and  sugar  industries.  The 
increased  demand  for  slack  barrels  in  other  industries  has,  however, 
probably  offset  the  reduced  consumption  of  wood  as  containers  of  certain 
industries  as  brought  about  through  substitution  of  other  materials. 
Woods  that  dry  quickly,  steam  well,  retain  their  form  when  bent,  and 
which  are  comparatively  free  from  resin  and  odor  make  the  best  slack 
stave  material.  Eed  gum,  pine,  elm,  and  ash  are  in  the  order  named 
the  four  most  important  woods  employed  by  the  industry. 

White  oak,  especially  that  cut  from  the  heart  of  the  tree,  is  considered 
the  most  satisfactory  wood  for  tight  cooperage  stock.  The  pores  of  the 
wood  are  not  open  like  those  of  red  oak,  and  after  the  barrel  is  made, 
no  leakage  of  the  contents  takes  place  through  the  pores.  Although  the 
uses  for  tight  barrels,  other  than  for  the  shipment  of  alcoholic  beverages, 
are  many,  there  is  no  doubt  but  that  national  prohibition  will  have  the 
effect  of  greatly  reducing  the  consumption  of  wood  by  the  tight  cooperage 


Wood-using  Industries  of  Worth  Carolina 


101 


industry.  Table  III  shows  by  kinds  of  wood  the  number  of  slack  staves 
and  sets  of  heading  that  were  produced  in  Worth  Carolina  in  1921. 

The  tight  cooperage  industry  in  Worth  Carolina  in  1921  was  of  such 
minor  importance  that  the  production  of  tight  staves  in  the  State  during 
that  year  was  not  shown  separately  in  the  published  statistics. 


Table  III. — Production  of  Slack  Cooperage  Stock  in  North  Carolina  in  1921 


Kind  of  Wood 

Staves 

(Number) 

Heading 

(Sets) 

Equivalent  in 
Board  Feet 

Tupelo  

Pine _ 

Red  gum _ _ _ . ..  _ 

38.102.000 

16.427.000 
3,700,000 

50,000 

1.708.000 
620,000 

3.214.000 

17,824,000 

6.715.000 

7.661.000 
16,000 

Totals _ _ 

58,279,000 

5,542,000 

32,216,000 

Veneer. — Worth  Carolina,  in  1921,  ranked  fifth  among  the  various 
states  in  the  consumption  of  wood  in  the  manufacture  of  veneer.  The 
total  quantity  used  in  the  State  was  24,264,000  feet,  log  scale,  as  com- 
pared with  400,388,000  feet,  log  scale,  reported  for  the  entire  country. 
Table  IV  shows  by  species  and  processes  of  manufacture  the  consump- 
tion of  wood  in  this  industry  in  Worth  Carolina  during  the  year. 


Table  IY. — Consumption  of  Wood  in  North  Carloina  in  the  Production  of 

Veneer  in  1921 


Kind  of  Wood 

Total  (Feet 
Log  Scale) 

Process 

Rotary  Cut, 
Quantity 
(Feet 

Log  Scale) 

Sliced, 

Quantity 

(Feet 

Log  Scale) 

Sawed, 

Quantity 

(Feet 

Log  Scale) 

13,707,000 

7.498.000 

2.299.000 
760, 000 

13,677,000 

7.498.000 

2.299.000 
225,000 

30,000 

35,000 

24,264,000 

24,199,000 

65,000 

includes  yellow  pine,  maple,  white  oak,  beech,  spruce,  sycamore,  walnut,  and  chestnut. 


Pulpwood. — Since  there  are  less  than  half  a dozen  pulp  mills  in  Worth 
Carolina,  the  industry  is  of  minor  importance  in  the  State.  As  small 
as  the  industry  is,  however,  it  consumed  in  1921  over  70  million  feet  of 
raw  material  in  the  form  of  cordwood,  which  constitutes  quite  an  item 
in  the  total  annual  drain  upon  the  forests  of  the  State. 


APPENDIX 


LIST  OF  COMMERCIAL  TREES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA 


Common  Names 


Botanical  Name 


Local  Names 


Trade  Name 


White  pine Pinus  strobus. 


Loblolly  pine Pinus  taeda. 


Shortleaf  or  rosemary  pine... Pinus  echinata. 


Longleaf  pine Pinus  palustris — 

Spruce  pine  or  Virginia  pine. .Pinus  virginiana. 

Pond  pine. Pinus  serotina 


Pitch  or  black  pine Pinus  rigida. 


/White  pine \wv., 

, -p,  , . /White  pine 

I^Balsam  pine J 

Old  field  pine... 

Shortleaf  pine.. 

Longleaf  pine.. 

Bog  pine 

Slash  pine 

Loblolly  pine... 

Old  field  pine... 

Forest  pine 

Yellow  pine 

Rosemary  pine. 

Shortleaf  pine.. 

Longleaf  pine Yellow’  pine 

Spruce  pine 

Nigger  pine 

"Alligator  pine... 

Hickory  pine  ... 

Scrub  pine 

Bay  pine 

Pocosin  pine 

Black  bark  pine. 

Pond  pine 

Black  pine 

Pitch  pine 

Ridge  pine 

Mountain  pine__ 

Old  field  pine 

Black  pine 

Ridge  pine 

Prickly  pine 

Is— 

Balsam /Balsam 

She  balsam ISpruce 

Hemlock Tsuga  canadensis ) hemlock.  1 

^ ...  < Spruce  pine /Hemlock 

Carolina  hemlock Tsuga  carolimana _ . . 

1 Hemlock  spruce J 

Cypress Taxodium  distichum 1 ~ ~ 

Pond  cypress Taxodium  ascendens / ypress  ypress 

White  cedar Chamaecyparis  thyoides Juniper Juniper 

Red  cedar Juniperus  virginiana Red  cedar Red  cedar 

White  walnut  or  butternut.. .Juglans  cinerea White  walnut Walnut 

Black  walnut Juglans  nigra Black  wralnut Black  walnut 

White  heart  or  mockernut 

hickory Cary  a alba White  heart  hickory Hickory 

Bitternut  hickory Carya  cordiformis Red  heart  hickory Hickory 

Water  hickory Carya  aquatica Swamp  hickory Hickory 

Pignut  hickory Carya  glabra Hickory Hickory 

Scaly-bark  or  shagbark 

hickory Carya  ovata Scaly  bark Hickory 

Pale-leaf  hickory Carya  pallida Hickory Hickory 

Southern  shell-bark  hickory  .Carya  carolinae-septentrionalis. .Scaly  bark  hickory Hickory 

Little-nut  hickory Carya  microcarpa Hickory Hickory 

River  birch.. Betula  nigra.. River  birch .Birch 


Table  mountain  or  moun- 
tain pine 


Red  spruce. 


.Pinus  pungens. 
.Picea  rubra 


>N.  C.  pine 


Yellow  pine 
N.  C.  pine 


N.  C.  pine 


>N.  C.  pine 


'Yellow  pine 


•Yellow  pine 


/ 


Southern  or  mountain 
balsam Abies  Fraseri- 


104 


Wood-using  Industries  of  Horth  Carolina 


Common  Names 
Black  birch 

Yellow  birch 

Beech 

Chestnut 

White  oak 

Post  oak 

Overcup  oak 

Swamp  chestnut  oak. 

Chestnut  oak 

Live  oak 


Northern  red  oak. 


Scarlet  oak 

Black  oak__ 

Southern  red  oak. 

Swamp  red  oak.. 
Water  oak 

Willow  oak 

Slippery  elm 


Winged  elm. 


White  or  american  elm. 

Hackberry 

Red  mulberry 

Mountain  magnolia 

Sweet  or  white  bay 

Cucumber-tree 

Yellow  poplar 

Sweet  or  red  gum 

Sycamore 

Black  cherry 

Black  locust 

Holly 

Sugar  maple 


Botanical  Name  Local  Names 

f Mountain  mahogany 
Betula  lenta < Mahogany 


Trade  Name 


[Birch 


Betula  lutea. 


/Birch 


Fagus  grandifolia 

Castanea  dentata 

Quercus  alba White  oak 

Quercus  minor White  oak 

» . , /Overcup  oak. 

.Quercus  lyrata 


[Cherry  birch 

/Birch 

[White  birch 

_ .Beech Beech 

__  Chestnut Chestnut 

White  oak 

White  oak 


/White  oak 


.Quercus  prinus. 


/White  oak 


/Red  oak 


\Swamp  post  oak... 

/Swamp  white  oak. 

[Swamp  chestnut  oak. 

{Chestnut  oak. 

Rock  oak [White  oak 

Mountain  oak. 

..Live  oak Live  oak 

f Red  oak ] 

] Water  oak 

| Mountain  oak. 

[Buck  oak J 

..Spanish  oak Oak 

..Black  oak Oak 

[Red  oak | 

•j  Turkey  oak. /Oak 

[Spanish  oak J 

Quercus  pagedaefolia Red  oak. Oak 

Quercus  nigra Water  oak Oak 

Water  oak.. 

Willow  oak. 

.Slippery  elm Elm 

f Small-leaved  elm. 


.Quercus  montana 

.Quercus  virginiana 

.Quercus  borealis  maxima. 

.Quercus  coccinea 

.Quercus  velutina 

.Quercus  rubra 


.Quercus  phellos 
.Ulmus  fulva — 


Oak 


-Ulmus  alata. 


.Ulmus  americana. 


] Corky  elm. 

1 Winged  elm 

I Southern  elm 

| Elm 

[White  elm 

f Hackberry 

[Sugarberry 

/Mulberry 

[Red  mulberry 

i Cucumber 

Mountain  cucumber.. 


/Elm 


/Elm 


.Celtis  occidentalis. 


.Morus  rubra. 


/Hackberry 

/Mulberry 


/Cucumber* 


.Magnolia  virginiana.. 
.Magnolia,  acuminata. 


.Liriodendron  tulipifera. 


/Cucumber* 

.Cucumber* 

^Poplar 


.Liquidambar  styraciflua. 


.Platanus  occidentalis. 


.Prunus  serotina. 


.Robima  pseudacacia. 
_Ilex  opaca 


.Acer  saccharum. 


[Wahoo 

/White  bay 

’ [Sweet  bay 

.. -Cucumber 

(Yellow  poplar... 

J White  poplar 

] Poplar.. 

[Tulip  poplar J 

I Sweet  gum Red  gum 

[Red  gum Satin  walnut 

[Sycamore [0 

" , /Sycamore 

Buttonwood 

Black  cherry 

Wild  cherry 

Locust 

Black  locust 

Holly 

[American  holly. 

f Sugar  tree  - )Hard  maple 

[Sugar  maple 


/Cherry 


/Locust 


/Holly 


Wood-using  Industries  of  ISTorth  Carolina 


105 


Common  Names 

Red  maple 

Yellow  buckeye 

Linden  or  basswood. 

Dogwood 

Black  gum 

Water  gum 

Tupelo 

Sourwood 

Persimmon 

Silverbell 


White  ash 

Red  ash 

Biltmore  ash. 

Green  ash 

Pumpkin  ash. 
Water  ash 


Botanical  Name 


Acer  rubrum. 


Local  Names 


Trade  Name 


Aesculus  octandra. 


.Tilia  spec.. 


SRed  maple.. 1 

Swamp  maple /Soft  maple 

Carolina  maple J 

Buckeye 

Yellow  buckeye. 

(Linn  ]>Basswood 

^Basswood J 


Cornus  florida Dogwood 

.Nyssa  sylvatica .Black  gum... 

f Sour  gum 

J Tupelo  gum. 

.Nyssa  binora w,  , 

| Black  gum... 


. Nyssa  aquatica. 


Oxydendrum  arboreum. 
Diospyros  virginiana 


.Halesia  Carolina. 


Fraxinus  americana. 


[Bowl  gum 

J Tupelo  gum 

1 Cotton  gum 

) Sourwood 

\ Sorrel  tree 

(Persimmon 

(’Simmon 

[Silverbell  tree.. 
J Snowdrop  tree. 

] Box  elder 

I Bell  wood 

J Ash 

\White  ash 

..Red  ash 


/Buckeye 


Fraxinus  pennsylvanica... 

.Fraxinus  biltmoreana  ash White  ash Ash 

.Fraxinus  lanceolata Green  ash Ash 

.Fraxinus  profunda Pumpkin  ash Ash 

.Fraxinus  caroliniana Water  ash Ash 


.Dogwood 
.Black  gum 

/Tupelo 

/Tupelo 

/Sourwood 

/Persimmon 

!^Pee  woodf 

Ash 

.Ash 


In  addition  to  the  trees  listed  above,  there  are  some  ninety  other 
species  of  trees  native  to  ISTorth  Carolina,  most  of  which  are  either  too 
small  or  too  rare  to  be  used  commercially.  There  are  also  some  dozen 
introduced  species  which  have  escaped  from  cultivation  and  become  wild. 


■"Cucumber  is  often  cut  with  and  classed  and  sold  as  poplar. 
tSometimes  cut  and  sold  with  cherry. 

(Compiled  by  J.  S.  Holmes,  State  Forester,  North  Carolina  Geological  and  Economic  Survey, 
Chapel  Hill,  N.  C.,  with  the  advice  of  Dr.  George  B.  Sudworth,  U.  S.  Forest  Service.) 


Date  Due 


..  557.56  N873B  no. 30 

N.C.Geol.dJcon.  Survey  330263 


Bulletin 


DATE 


ISSUED  TO 


. 557.56  NS73B  no.  330233 


